Maha Bodhi Temple - Bodh Gaya |
Bodh Gaya (The Mahabodhi Temple Complex) houses all the major pilgrimage spots. A flight of steps leads to the inner courtyard through a beautifully craved granite
torana (gateway). A large circular stone with the Buddha's footprints is kept in a small shrine on the left. Seven spots within the complex precincts are especially sacred because it was at these spots that the Buddha spent a week each, meditating, after his Enlightenment.
The famous Mahabodhi temple which stands in the centre of the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, has been restored and rebuilt over the centuries. Set among verdant lawns, this giant pyramidal sandstone structure soars to a height of 54 meters and is visible for miles around. The walls are carved with various aspects of Buddhism. The sanctum sanctorum has a colossal golden Buddha. A chamber at the top houses a figure of Mayadevi, the Buddha's mother. An ancient stone railing surrounds the temple on three sides. The railing dates to 100 BC and is the oldest of the excavated evidence in Bodhgaya. The temple is said to stand at the site of the original 3rd century BC temple built by the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka. The temple was rebuilt in 7th century AD by the Pala kings of Bengal. Hsuen Tsang, the Chinese scholar pilgrim, refers to having seen it. Destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 12th century, the temple was restored by The Burmese kings in the 14th century, flooded and buried under silt till the 19th century.
