Bodh Gaya

Bodh Gaya: where the Buddha was Enlightened

Introduction

About this protection

This home page will be of interest to Buddhists who want to know more about the history of their religion, those planning to visit Bodh Gaya and also to Indioligists both amateur and professional.

It presents a comprehensive history of Bodh Gaya as well as numerous photographs, drawings, maps, inscriptions, documents and images of artifacts relating to this, the most sacred place in the Buddhist world.

Click here to read about the author Ven. S. Dhammika

There are five parts to select :

To The Navel of the Earth History of Pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya

Read about the devote men and woman who throughout the centuries risked everything to journey to the place where the Buddha was enlightened and about how they made their way there. Read also of the dangers these pilgrims encountered and the joy and peace they experienced when finally they sat in the shade of the Bodhi Tree and gazed at the wondrous Diamond Throne.

A Good Place for Striving

Bodh Gaya from 500 BCE to 500 CE

Learn why Prince Siddhatta came to Bodh Gaya and what he experienced during his stay there, how the small village grew into a great center of culture and learning, about Queen Kurangi’s munificence and the first brave pilgrims from outside India to visit the geographical centre of Buddhism.

Like a Stairway to Heaven

Bodh Gaya from 500 CE to 1420

Read about the building of the Mahabodhi Temple and the legends surrounding its famous image, the attempts by the evil king Sassanka to destroy the Bodhi Tree, what the pilgrims Hiuen Tsiang and Dharmasvamin saw during their visits and also about Bodh Gaya’s tragic end during the Muslim era.

Relighting the Lamp

Bodh Gaya from 1420 to the Present

Read about the few lone pilgrims who found their way to Bodh Gaya during its long period of ruin and darkness, of Anagarika Dharmapala and his struggles with the Mahant for the right to worship in the Mahabodhi Temple and about how Bodh Gaya recently became a pawn in India’s volatile communal politics.

The Bodh Gaya Project

Contributions to Bodh Gaya’s History

From time to time new documents, images, travel accounts and other material relating to Bodh Gaya will be posted.

Introduction | History of Pilgrimage | 500 BCE to 500 CE | 500 CE to 1420 1420 to Present | Bodh Gaya Project

Bodh Gaya

Introduction

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