The Mahabodhi Temple, also called the Mahābodhi Mahāvihāra, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. It is a restored Buddhist temple that marks the place where the Buddha is believed to have reached enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from Gaya and about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from Patna. The site includes a tree thought to be a descendant of the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha gained enlightenment. This location has been a major place of pilgrimage for Buddhists for over 2,000 years. The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya is considered the most sacred and respected pilgrimage site for Buddhists worldwide.

Some parts of the site date back to the time of Emperor Ashoka, who lived until about 232 BCE. The structures visible today were built in the 6th century CE or earlier, and the site has undergone several major restorations since the 19th century. The temple may also include parts from the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Archaeological discoveries show that the area was a place of worship for Buddhists at least since the Mauryan period. The Vajrasana, a stone seat inside the temple, is believed to be from the 3rd century BCE.

Many of the oldest sculptures have been moved to a museum near the temple. Some parts, like the carved stone railing around the main building, have been replaced with replicas. The main temple is remarkable because it was mostly built with brick covered in stucco, materials that are less durable than stone. Very little of the original decorative carvings remain.

The temple complex has two large, straight-sided towers called shikhara, with the tallest reaching over 55 meters (180 feet). This design has been used in Jain and Hindu temples for many years and has influenced Buddhist architecture in other countries, such as in the design of pagodas.

History

Traditional stories say that around 589 BCE, Siddhartha Gautama, a young prince who saw the suffering of the world and wanted to end it, reached the forested banks of the Phalgu River near the city of Gaya, India. There, he sat in meditation under a peepul tree (Ficus religiosa or Sacred Fig), which later became known as the Bodhi Tree. According to Buddhist writings, after three days and three nights, Siddhartha gained enlightenment and freedom from suffering. In that location, the Mahabodhi Temple was built by Emperor Ashoka around 260 BCE.

After gaining enlightenment, the Buddha spent the next seven weeks meditating and reflecting at seven different places near the Bodhi Tree. Some of these locations are still connected to traditions at the Mahabodhi Temple today:

• The first week was spent under the Bodhi Tree.
• During the second week, the Buddha stood and stared at the Bodhi Tree without stopping. This spot is marked by the Animeshlocha Stupa, or the unblinking shrine, to the northeast of the Mahabodhi Temple. A statue of the Buddha faces the Bodhi Tree there.
• The Buddha is said to have walked back and forth between the Animeshlocha Stupa and the Bodhi Tree. Lotus flowers are said to have grown along this path, now called Ratnachakrama or the Jewel Walk.
• The fourth week was spent near Ratnagar Chaitya, to the northeast.
• The sixth week was spent next to the Lotus Pond.
• The seventh week was spent under the Rajyatna Tree.

The Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya is believed to be a direct descendant of the original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama meditated to gain enlightenment. The temple was built directly to the east of the tree.

According to Buddhist traditions, if no Bodhi Tree grows at the site, the ground around it remains empty of plants for a distance of one royal karīsa. No being, not even an elephant, can walk through this area.

According to the Jatakas, the center of the earth is said to be at this spot, and no other place can support the weight of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Another tradition claims that when the world ends at the end of a kalpa, the Bodhimanda (the place of enlightenment) is the last to disappear and the first to reappear when the world begins again. It is also said that a lotus will bloom there, and if a Buddha is born in a new kalpa, the number of lotus flowers will match the number of Buddhas expected to arise. According to legend, a Bodhi Tree grew on the day the Gautama Buddha was born.

Around 250 BCE, about 200 years after the Buddha’s enlightenment, Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan Empire visited Bodh Gaya to build a monastery and shrine on the holy site. This structure no longer exists today, but the Diamond Throne, or Vajrasana, remains. It was built by Emperor Ashoka between 250 and 233 BCE at the site where the Buddha reached enlightenment. The Diamond Throne is still worshipped today and is the center of many festivals at the temple.

Early temple designs meant to protect the Bodhi Tree are found at Sanchi, on the toraṇas of Stūpa I, dating from around 25 BCE, and on a relief carving from the stupa railing at Bhārhut, from the early Shunga period (c. 185–c. 73 BCE).

The Sungas added more structures, including columns with pot-shaped bases found around the Diamond Throne. These columns are thought to date to the 1st century BCE, near the end of the Sunga period. These columns, discovered through archaeological research at the Buddha’s Walk in the Mahabodhi Temple, closely match those described on reliefs from the gateway pillars.

The railings around the Mahabodhi Temple are ancient, made of sandstone from about 150 BCE during the Sunga period. They have carved panels and medallions with scenes similar to those on the Sunga railings at Bharhut (150 BCE) and Sanchi (115 BCE). The reliefs at Sanchi Stupa No. 2 are often considered the oldest. The railing was extended during the following century, up to the end of the Gupta period (7th century), with granite decorated with elaborate designs and small figures. Many parts of the original railing have been moved to museums, such as the Indian Museum in Kolkata, and replaced with plaster copies.

Although Emperor Ashoka is considered the founder of the Mahabodhi Temple, the current pyramidal structure dates to the Gupta Empire, between the 5th and 6th centuries CE, and influenced later Hindu temple architecture in brick.

This may represent a restoration of earlier work from the 2nd or 3rd century. A plaque from Kumrahar dated 150–200 CE, based on Kharoshthi inscriptions and Huvishka coins, shows the Mahabodhi Temple in its current shape with a stepped truncated pyramid and a small hemispherical stupa with finials on top. This is confirmed by archaeological excavations in Bodh Gaya.

It is thought that the pyramid shape of the temple was inspired by the design of stepped stupas from Gandhara. The Mahabodhi Temple adapted the Gandharan style, using steps with niches containing Buddha images, alternating with Greco-Roman pillars, and topped by a stupa, as seen in the stupas of Jaulian. The structure is crowned by a hemispherical stupa with finials, forming a natural extension of the stepped Gandharan stupas.

This truncated pyramid design marked the shift from aniconic stupas (without images) to iconic temples with multiple Buddha and Bodhisattva images. This design greatly influenced later Hindu temples. The "shikhara" tower with an amalaka near the top is now more characteristic of Hindu temples.

Throughout its history, the Mahabodhi Temple has received support from many sources. In the 5th century, Faxian noted three monasteries built around the temple complex, where monks lived and were supported by local people. Patronage came from both within and outside India. The many votive stupas and sculptures found at the Mahabodhi Temple complex show this. A sixth-century record by a Sri Lankan monk named Mahānāman states that a temple was built at the Bodhimaṇḍa and confirms ties between the Mahabodhi Temple and Sri Lanka.

From the 11th century onward, patronage increased from countries like Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, and Burma. King Kyansittha sent the first Burmese mission to the Mahabodhi Temple during this time. Three more missions occurred up to the 14th century. These missions aimed to repair the temple and send gifts, including musical instruments. Donations also came from non-royal sources. Five Chinese inscriptions found at the temple complex record gifts by Chinese monks in the 11th century. One monk stated in his inscription that he was sent on behalf of the Song Emperor. Local rulers, such as the Pithipatis of Magadha based in Bodh Gaya, also supported the temple.

Buddhism declined when the dynasties that supported it fell, following Huna invasions and early Arab Islamic invasions, such as that of Muhammad bin Qasim. A strong revival occurred later.

Architectural style

The Mahabodhi Temple is made of brick and is one of the oldest brick buildings still standing in eastern India. It is seen as an excellent example of Indian brick construction and had a major influence on later architectural styles. According to UNESCO, "the present temple is one of the earliest and most important buildings made entirely of brick from the Gupta period" (300–600 CE). The temple's central tower is 55 meters (180 feet) tall and was heavily restored in the 19th century. This tower is surrounded by four smaller towers, built in the same style.

The Mahabodhi Temple is enclosed on all four sides by stone railings that are about two meters high. These railings show two different types, both in their design and the materials used. The older railings, made of sandstone, date back to about 150 BCE. The newer ones, made of unpolished coarse granite, are believed to be from the Gupta period. The older railings include scenes such as Lakshmi, the Hindu/Buddhist goddess of wealth, being bathed by elephants, and Surya, the Hindu sun god, riding a chariot pulled by four horses. The newer railings show images of stupas (shrines that hold holy relics) and garudas (eagles). Lotus flowers also appear often on the railings.

Images found at the site include Avalokiteśvara (Padmapani, Khasarpana), Vajrapani, Tara, Marichi, Yamantaka, Jambhala, and Vajravārāhī.

Control of the site

For many years before Europeans found the temple again, it was a place where Shaivas and Vaishnavas, two groups of Hindus, worshipped. In 1891, a movement began to return control of the temple to Buddhists, but Hindu leaders opposed this. Sir Edwin Arnold, the author of The Light of Asia, supported efforts to restore the temple and return it to Buddhist care. Arnold was guided in this work by Weligama Sri Sumangala Thera. In 1891, Anagarika Dharmapala visited the newly restored Mahabodhi Temple. He was shocked to find a Hindu priest in charge, a Buddha statue changed into a Hindu symbol, and Buddhists prevented from worshiping there. This experience led him to start a campaign for change.

The Maha Bodhi Society was created in Colombo in 1891 but moved to Calcutta in 1892. Its main goal was to return the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, one of the four most important Buddhist holy sites, to Buddhist control. To achieve this, Dharmapala started a legal case against Hindu priests who had controlled the site for many years. After a long and difficult process, the temple was partially restored to Buddhist care in 1949, sixteen years after Dharmapala’s death in 1933, and one year after India gained independence in 1947. At that time, the temple’s management was given to a group with equal numbers of Hindus and Buddhists. In 1949, the state government of Bihar took control of the temple from the Hindu leader and created the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) under the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949. This committee has nine members, most of whom, including the leader, must be Hindus by law. The first Buddhist monk to lead the committee was Anagarika Munindra, a Bengali man who had worked with the Maha Bodhi Society.

In 2013, the Bihar government changed the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949 to allow a non-Hindu to lead the temple committee. That same year, 1,000 Indian Buddhists gathered at the Mahabodhi Temple to demand that Buddhists take control of the site. These Buddhists included leaders such as Bhante Anand, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Bhikkhu Mahasangh, and the president of the Bodh Gaya Mukti Andolan Samiti. Japanese-born Surai Sasai also became an important Buddhist leader in India, joining Bhante Anand as a key figure in the movement to return the temple to Buddhist control.

Current status and management

After India became independent, the Bihar state government took over the job of protecting, managing, and watching over the temple and its property. Because of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, this responsibility is shared with the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee and an advisory board. The committee must have four Buddhist and four Hindu members, including the head of the Sankaracharya Math monastery as an official Hindu member. A 2013 change to the Bodhgaya Temple Management Act allows the Gaya District Magistrate to lead the committee, even if he is not Hindu. The advisory board includes the governor of Bihar and 20 to 25 other members, half of whom are from foreign Buddhist countries.

In June 2002, the Mahabodhi Temple was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Any religious items found in the area are protected by the Treasure Trove Act of 1878.

The temple’s head monk, Bhikkhu Bodhipala, left his position in 2007 after being accused of regularly cutting branches from the Mahabodhi tree and selling them to foreigners for large amounts of money. A newspaper reported that wealthy buyers from Thailand purchased a branch with the help of senior members of the management committee. The temple’s representative said botanists had trimmed the tree, but the Bihar home secretary ordered an examination of the tree. A legal charge was filed against Bodhipala. If found guilty, he could face at least 10 years in prison.

After the committee’s term ended in September 2007, the Bihar government delayed choosing a new committee. The district magistrate managed the temple until a new committee was appointed. On May 16, 2008, the government announced the selection of a new Temple Management Committee.

As of June 2017, the temple’s head monk was Bhikkhu Chalinda.

Recent events

In early 2013, organizers in Thailand began a plan to cover the temple's upper spire with gold. They stated that permission from Indian authorities was needed before the work could start and estimated the project would require about 200 kilograms of gold.

In August 2013, Bihar’s chief minister, Nitish Kumar, announced that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had approved a proposal to cover the Mahabodhi Temple’s dome with gold, but only if certain conditions were met. Later reports said the project was being done under ASI supervision using gold donated by Thailand. The amount of gold was reported as 289 kilograms (often rounded to "nearly 300 kilograms"), with some sources stating 280 kilograms. The donations included contributions from the Thai king and Thai devotees. One report mentioned that only the top 18 feet of the 180-foot-tall structure would be covered with gold after special chemical treatments were applied.

On July 7, 2013, ten low-power bombs exploded at the temple complex, injuring five people. One bomb was near the Buddha statue, and another was near the Mahabodhi tree. Three other bombs were found and safely removed. The explosions happened between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., and the main temple remained undamaged. Indian intelligence officials may have warned state leaders about possible threats about 15 days before the attack. On November 4, 2013, the National Investigation Agency said the Islamic terrorist group Indian Mujahideen was responsible for the bombings.

Replicas

The Mahabodhi Temple is one of the most copied Buddhist buildings, found in both large structures and small models.

• Zhenjue Temple, Beijing, China
• Mahabodhi Temple, Bagan, Myanmar
• Wat Chet Yot, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Thatta Thattaha Maha Bawdi Pagoda, Myanmar
• Bodh Gaya Chedi Replica (Chedi Phutthakhaya Chamlong) in Wat Yansangwararam, Chonburi Province, Thailand