Bodh Gaya is the holiest of Buddhist destinations and a World Heritage Site. It was here, under a pipal, or bodhi tree, that Siddhartha Gotama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. A simple shrine was built by the emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE) to mark the spot, later enclosed by a stone railing (1st century BCE), part of which still remains. The uprights have representations of the Vedic gods Indra and Surya, and the railing medallions include carvings of imaginary beasts. This shrine was replaced in the Kushan period (2nd cent. CE) by the present Mahabodhi temple, which was refurbished in the Pala-Sena period (750-1200), heavily restored by Sir Alexander Cunningham in the second half of the 19th century, and finally restored by Myanmar (Burmese) Buddhists in 1882. The bodhi tree behind the temple is believed to be a descendant of the original. [Adapted from Encyclopedia Britannica; July 06]
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Mahabodhi Mahavihara ▒ |
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Mahabodhi temple complex  |
The Buddha  |
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Temple tower at night (more)  |
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Posing boy monk  |
One for the
family album  |
The Buddha (more)  |
Former "untouchables"  |
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Under the Bodhi tree (more)  |
Mucalinda lake  |
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A stupa  |
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The temple at night  |
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Cloister walk  |
Bodhi tree leaves  |
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Boy monks (more)  |
Boy monks (more)  |
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Stone railing (more)  |
From 1st cent. BCE (more)  |
Replicas of the original  |
Originals are in the museum  |
Meditation garden  |
Temple tower  |
Temple wall sculpture  |
Lizard under bodhi tree  |
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South Indian pilgrims  |
A source of Bihari pride  |
Mahabodhi temple entrance  |
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The Town of Bodh Gaya |
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Bhutanese monastery (more)  |
Bhutanese monastery  |
Thai monastery  |
Thai monastery  |
Japanese monastery  |
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Emaciated Buddha  |
Sujata brings a meal  |
Chinese monastery  |
... inside (more)  |
Royal Bhutanese monastery  |
... inside  |
Tibetan monastery  |
... inside  |
As a young man, prince Siddhartha, realizing the harsh truths of life, left his wife and son and became an ascetic. He did penance and yoga, undeterred by the temptations of Mara, until he found enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. He gave his first sermon at Sarnath and reformed a dreaded robber Angulimal. |
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Buddha statue  |
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A road in Bodh Gaya  |
Face of malnourishment  |
Village dwellings  |
Shanty house  |
Village with golden pagoda  |
Women returning home  |
Roadside photo studio  |
Veggie fields  |
Spraying pesticides  |
Village shrine  |
Okra (Bhindi)  |
Local snack joint  |
Crossing the Falgu River  |
Ghat on the Falgu River  |
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