A trip to the Land of Enlightenment - Bodh Gaya, Bihar  - Part I

On 25th March I boarded the Chennai-Gaya super fast Express from Egmore station.  The train left chennai station around 7,30 am and finally reached Gaya on 27th March at 1.30 am instead of 26th March at 9.40 pm.  Bodh Gaya is around 17 km from Gaya.  I managed to reach Welcome Hotel at Bodh Gaya where I had booked my accommodation around 5 am as I did not take the chance of leaving the Gaya station at 1.30 am. Before I take you through  my experience let me tell you  little about Bodh Gaya. Bodh Gaya is one of the most important and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage center in the world.  It was here under a banyan tree, the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme knowledge to become Buddha, the Enlightened one.

Day I - 27th March 2014

Mahabodhi Temple: Around 7.30 am after my bath and other routine activities I visited the Mahabodhi temple which is less than 1/2 km from my hotel.  This temple stands in the east to the Bodhi tree.  Its architectural effect is superb.  Its basement is 48 sq.ft. feet and it rises in the form of a slender pyramid till it reaches its neck, which is cylindrical in shape. The total height of the tmple is 170 ft. and on the top of the temple are chatras which symbolize sovereignty of religion.  Four towers on its corners rise gracefully giving the holy structure a poise balance. This sacred edifice is like a grand banner unfurled by time to proclaim to the world the pious efforts of the Buddha to solve the knots of human miseries, to ascend above worldly problems and to attain transcendental peace through wisdom, good conduct and disciplined life.

Inside the temple, in the main sanctum, there is a colossal image of the Buddha in sitting posture touching the earth by his right hand.  In this posture the Buddha accomplished the supreme enlightenment. The statue is of black stone but it has been guilder by the devotees. The entire courtyard of the temple is studded with large number of votive stupas. These stupas are of all sizes built during the past 2500 years ago. Most of them are extremely elegant in structural beauty. The ancient railings which surround the temple, are of the first century BC and are among the very interesting monuments of the century.

Bodhi Tree: the present Bodhi tree is probably the fifth succession of the original tree under which the Buddha had attained enlightenment. Vajrasana, the seat of stability, is a stone platform on which the Buddha is supposed to have sat in meditation gazing east, under the Bodhi Tree.

Chankramana: this marks the sacred spot of the Buddha's meditative perambulations during the third week after pious enlightenment.  It is believed that wherever the Buddha put his feet lotus sprang up.

After doing meditation under the Bodhi tree, I went back to my hotel with an intention to visit other Buddha temples in and around Bodh Gaya. Photos of such temples including 80 feet Statue of the Buddha, Chinese temple/Monastery, Burmese temple, Buddhist Monastery of Bhutan, Japanese temple, Thai Temple/Monastery, tibetan Monastery, etc.