Mahabodhi Temple : In News
The Supreme Court recently agreed to review a petition seeking the repeal of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, advocating for its replacement with a central law to better manage the Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar.
- Mahabodhi Temple is one of the four most sacred sites of Buddhism, marking the location where Buddha attained Enlightenment (Bodhi), along with:
- Lumbini (Buddha’s birthplace)
- Sarnath (Buddha’s first sermon)
- Kushinagar (Buddha’s parinirvana)
- Location: Bodh Gaya, Bihar, on the banks of the Niranjana River.
- The first temple at the site was constructed by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC.
- The present temple was built in the 5th–6th century AD, in the Gupta period.
- It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely in brick, still standing in India, from the late Gupta period.
- The temple was heavily restored in the 19th century, by Myanmar (Burmese) Buddhists and then by the British archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham.
- It was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2002.
- The temple structure is 180 feet (55 meters) in height.
- It is dominated by a pyramid-shaped central tower, called a shikhara.
- This tower comprises several layers of niches, arch motifs, and fine engravings.
- Four additional towers, each identical to the main tower but smaller in size, adorn the corners of the two-story structure.
- A shrine inside the temple holds a yellow sandstone statue of the Buddha encased in glass.
- Sacred Bodhi Tree: Believed to be a direct descendant of the original tree under which Buddha attained Enlightenment.
- Vajrasana (Diamond Throne): A stone slab marking the exact spot where Buddha meditated and attained enlightenment.
- Stone railings surround the temple as well as the Bo tree.
- One of the most famous of Ashoka’s many pillars (on which he had engraved his proclamations and his understanding of religious doctrine) stands at the southeast corner of the temple.
- The 4.8-hectare complex includes ancient shrines and modern Buddhist structures built by devotees.
