Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s2.t13: Mahabodhi Vihar
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s2.t13
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Mahabodhi Vihar
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Mahabodhi Vihar refers to the main Buddhist temple at Bodhgaya (Uruvela) at the spot where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment. The Vihar includes the famous Bodhi tree (Ficus Religiosa or the peepal Tree) and the Vajrasana (Diamond throne). The original temple existed as tree shrine (*bodhi-ghar*) with railings constructed by Emperor Ashoka in 3rd century BCE. Its earliest depiction is found on reliefs at Bharahut (c. 80 BCE) and Sanchi (c. 25 BCE) *stupas*. This indicates its early recognition as one of the most significant Buddhist centres of worship. So much so that until the popularity of the name of this place as Bodhgaya in the 19th century and after the disappearance of its original name Uruvela due to disuse within two centuries of Buddha's enlightenment, it was known as Sambodhi, Bodhimanda, Vajrasana and Mahabodhi. The most long-lasting and popular name was, however, Mahabodhi which was still being used when A Cunningham visited the place in mid-19th century.
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The Mahabodhi Vihar has gone through several structural changes during its existence. The original tree shrine was expanded into a two storeyed structure enclosing the tree in Sunga period (2nd -1st century BCE) with Vajrasana and the Bodhi tree as main objects of veneration. The first mention of the rising of a structural temple is found in Faxian's travelogue who visited the place in 5th century CE. He notes a tall tower standing near the sacred tree and Vajrasana. Depiction of tower–shrines on reliefs of the Kushana period, link structural expansion of the temple to 1st-3rd centuries CE. By the time of Xuanzang's visit (7th century CE), a large brick temple of the late Gupta style had been erected there. Xuanzang provides a detailed description of the temple, stating – "The Vihar stood in the east of Bodhi tree and was about 170 feet high. It was made of blackish-blue fired bricks and covered with lime. Golden figures of Buddha adorned all the niches carved in each row. All the four sides of the wall were full of heavily ornamented wonderful design-work depicting strings of pearl or figures of gods. Surmounted on the spire of the Vihar was a gilded bronze model representation of *aamlak* (mango fruit). The main building consisted of three storeys and the outer gates of the building had niche like chambers in right and left sides. The left side had a statue of Boddhisattava Avalokiteshwar and the right had Bodhisattava Maitreya. Both the statues were made of silver and were of 10 feet in height." He also notes existence of a small temple made by Emperor Asoka and many other smaller temples and *stupas* erected by his disciples. The temple housed a seated Buddha, which according to legends is the exact replica of the historical Buddha created by the Maitreya Buddha himself. This became the model of many later Buddhist images. According to an inscription of 588-89 CE, this image was renovated by a Sri Lankan devotee, Mahånåman.
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*Mahābodhi Temple, Bihar, India*
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The temple underwent further extension and renovation during the Pala-Sena dynasty (10th-12th century). Mahabodhi Vihar, which now exists, is the renovated structure of the same building. Its flourishing state and active status is also evidenced by two Chinese Song dynasty inscriptions of the late 10th and early 11th centuries. Other contemporary inscriptions note rulers of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and other Buddhist countries funding restoration and development projects. The temple site had such an appeal that its replicas were made in Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, China and Tibet which provide beautiful models of this grand temple complex. By the 12th century, with the rise of Indo-Turkic Muslim rule and the decline of Buddhism in the Indo-Gangetic area, the temple gradually decayed as the protector-monks abandoned the place. Deserted by the original Buddhist caretaker–monks, the place was then annexed by a local Brahmin leader as his private property. The ownership matter was finally resolved through a long legal battle waged by famous Sri Lankan monk, Anagarika Dharmapal, through a 1949 special Bodhgaya Temle Management Act that transferred it to a trust with equal number of Buddhist and Hindu representatives under the local district magistrate.
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"Buried under accumulation of rubbish", the temple was rediscovered during 1811-12 by Francis Buchanan. It was later excavated by Major Mead in 1863. The King of Myanmar also sent people to clean the site. In 1878, Dr Brajendra Lal Mitra published his work on the Temple of Bodhgaya. In 1879, A Cunningham found the site was still not satisfactorily excavated and restored. Finally in 1881, British engineer J D Beglar was entrusted with the task of the full restoration of the temple and its site. The excavated temple was, however, found in a very fragmentary condition. Beglar then restored the temple mostly using its 12th century stone model available in a museum in Kolkata.
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Once restored, the temple complex again became an active site of Buddhist pilgrimage with numerous buildings, *stupa* and parks built by devotees from various Buddhist countries. In 2002, the temple complex was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of it being one of the few examples of the earliest classical-styled, brick structured, large temples in India as well as its connection with Buddha and his times. The preserved temple complex now consists of monuments linked with the first seven weeks of his enlightenment ie, the giant Bodhi Tree [religiosa ficus], Vajrasana [Diamond Throne], Animeshlochan Chaitya [prayer hall], the Ratnachakrama [Jewelled Ambulator], Ratnaghar Chaitya [Jewelled Temple], a pillar marking the site of the Ajapala Nigrodh Tree, the Lotus Pond, and the Rajyatana Tree. Most recently in 2013, the vault of the temple was covered with 290 kg of gold donated by the Thai Buddhist disciples.