Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s2.t4.1

v1.c7.s2.t4.1

Vajrasana, translated often as Diamond Throne, refers to the stone seat decorated with diamond pattern surface on which Gautam Buddha sat in meditation and attained enlightenment under a peepal tree [Ficus Religiosa or Bodhi tree] in Uruvela village (Bodhgaya). It is also known as the Victory Throne of all Buddhas (Sabbabuddha-nam Jayapallankam) or the Navel of the Earth (Pathavinabhi). The *Vajrasana* and the peepal tree are recognised as the most significant sacred spots for Buddhists. The Mahabodhi Temple, which was later erected to enshrine the place, was called (Vajrasana Gandhakuti). It was believed that when the universe will be finally destroyed, this would be the last place to disappear and that it would also be the first place to form with the beginning of the re-evolution of the universe. Emperor Ashoka built a red sandstone structure with railings here in the 3rd century BCE to mark the exact spot of the meditation seat. Until the popularity of the name Bodhgaya for Uruvela, the place was for some times also known as *Vajrasana*.