The Mahabodi Temple complex provided us with an interesting visit and, in conjunction with prior and subsequent study, a number of surprises regarding its historical and current status!

It is situated in the state of Bihar around 12kms south of the railhead of Gaya (which we reached by “fast” overnight train from Kolkata - dept 22.00 arr 05.20) in what has become the significant pilgrimage/tourist town of "Bodh Gaya" in which many Buddhist countries/sects (including China, Tibet, Japan, Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam and Burma/Myanmar) have, in relatively recent years, built their own temples. There are also meditation centres and a Buddhist university etc. So the town is a hive of people who are there for religious purposes – mere “tourists” are very much in the minority!

The first notable aspect for us was the realization that the structures one views were all largely built since the site’s “rediscovery” in the 19th C. The restoration work was led in the 1880s by the British archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham (he set up the Archaeological Survey of India which today runs many of the Indian Cultural WHS). The original temple on the supposed site of Buddha’s enlightenment around 480BC goes back to Ashoka in 250BC, with further construction over it in the form of a mainly brick structure during the later Gupta empire in the 5th/6th Century AD. Buddhism however gradually declined as a force in India and, with the Mogul invasion, faced virtual extinction there by the 13th C. The temple appears to have been largely destroyed and abandoned at that time –certainly by “Buddhists”. In 1802 the Burmese sent a mission which re-established the location’s credentials and, subsequently, British archaeologists carried out inspections and started excavations in the 1860s. Fuller excavation and reconstruction commenced in 1881 with Burmese assistance. Cunningham faced problems of how to design this reconstruction but had descriptions from e.g Hieun Tang in 7th C and also contemporary “models”/carvings of the temple existing locally (e.g at Sanchi) and abroad. It is clear that it is very important to Buddhists to establish as much authenticity as possible and I have found it difficult fully to disentangle belief from fact. So, it is stated that excavations have established that, within the crumbled remains from around 450AD, there was also the heart of the earlier Asoka temple with its Vajrasana Throne (the exact spot where Buddha achieved enlightenment and the reputed centre of the Universe) and of many of the original “railings” which surrounded it. It is also asserted that the Bo tree growing over the Vajrisana is “a direct descendant planted in 288 BC from the original specimen.” (Wiki). It is known that a new tree was planted in the 19th C but the “story” is that the seedling came from Anurhadapura and that the tree there was a direct descendent! As for the external shape of the Stupa – well Cunningham himself wrote “This additional work has been much criticised, and I have been roundly abused for it …….although I had nothing whatsoever to say to it. At the same time I must confess that, since I have seen it, I think this design of the front pavilion is a very successful completion to the entrance in the style and spirit of the original work, as shown in the model. It is of course a 'restoration' which, as it was based on the double authority of existing remains and an ancient model, I consider legitimate and justifiable."

The next matter of interest and surprise (to me at least) is the Buddhist/Hindu conflict over who should control the temple. In the years since the temple’s destruction in 13C it had virtually ceased receiving Buddhist pilgrims – that religion, at least in a “pure” form, was almost extinct in India and very few foreign Buddhists made it to the site. The place still maintained its importance to Buddhists outside India and “Mahabodhi” temples were constructed – most famously at Pagan where it still exists, but elsewhere also. The continuing interest was demonstrated by Burma’s involvement in the early days of excavation. During this time the site had been “appropriated” by Hindus. This is not as strange as it might seem. I hadn’t appreciated the extent to which many Hindus (including our guide on a later portion of the trip) regard Buddhism as merely a sect of Hinduism – indeed many see Buddha as the 9th incarnation (“Avatar”) of Vishnu – and some of the original railings indeed show representations of Hindu gods such as Lakshmi and Surya. Into this mix stepped Anargarika Dharmapala, a Sinhalese priest who was a major figure in the worldwide “revival” of Buddhism in the late 19th/early 20th C (including its transmission to the West and its relationship with Theosophy). He decided that the reconstructed temple had to be controlled by Buddhists and set up the Mahabodhi Society, in part to achieve this! The struggle to gain full control has continued ever since, largely but not entirely, peacefully but still with a degree of rancour! Recently the BJP has made use of the tension by claiming the right to worship at a Shiva lingam in the temple etc etc If anyone wants to discover more about the history of Mahabodhi, the excavations/reconstruction and the “ownership” dispute I recommend this book ”The Revival of Buddhist Pilgrimage at Bodh Gaya (1811- 1949) Anagarika Dharmapala and the Mahabodhi Temple" (available to read in part on Google Books) – otherwise this link provides a (somewhat Buddhist biased!) overview 

So - what of our visit? We spent about 2 hours there relatively early in the morning – first as the “overnight” pilgrims were departing, and then later as very large numbers of day pilgrims began to arrive. We got straight into the inner sanctum of the temple but, as we left, large queues were building up. To my eyes the architecture is nothing special – not for instance compared with the gopurams of S India. If one isn’t there for “religious reasons”, then the value of the visit lies almost entirely in picking up the “connections” with Buddha and the atmosphere/views one gains from the Buddhist pilgrims going about their “religious business”! There is far more to the site than the towering main temple and the Bo tree just outside it. It is a sprawling complex and, dotted around, are 7 marked spots where Buddha is regarded as having spent time carrying out specific actions in the 7 weeks immediately after his “enlightenment” experience. Beyond and between all these are extensive gardens filled with parties of Buddhists from various countries worshipping en mass. We were somewhat surprised by the number of “westerners” – “Meditation” holidays seem to have become “big business”!! To us, the Bodhi tree, the Cloister Walk (Cankamana – photo. Buddha is believed to have spent his 3rd week walking up and down there. On the platform Lotuses are situated where Buddha rested his feet ) and the Diamond Throne ((Vajrasana) were the highlights - plus the gold covered Buddha statue inside the main temple continuously being "re-robed" with gifts of cloth from pilgrims. We could happily have spent more time picking up the atmosphere as it changed through the day and even visiting some of the other (non-UNESCO) temples around the town – but our planned route required us to move on to the T List site of Nalanda some 80 kms north!