 |
View of the Mahabodhi
temple complex |
In continuation with my
Bihar trip, after reaching our hotel at around 10.30 pm, a hot bath and hot and delicious stuffed parathas for dinner revived us completely.
We were eager to visit the Mahabodhi temple, and the other beautiful Buddhist temples in Bodh Gaya.We checked out of the hotel at around 7.30 am in morning. Our packed agenda did not allow for much relaxation. There was so much to see and just 24 little hours!
We wanted to make the most of every precious hour. Our plan was to tour Bodh Gaya, then Gaya, followed by Rajgir and Nalanda, all in one day!
A bit about the history of Mahabodhi temple: In the 6th century, Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment at this spot. Emperor Ashoka set up a throne of sandstone to represent the spot. A sandstone railing was constructed around it in the 3rd century BC.The present Mahabodhi temple was constructed in 6th century AD. There have been several restorations after that. There has been a lot of contribution by Burmese, British, and Indian archeologists in repairing the temple.
This is the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site.
Buddha spent seven weeks at different spots within the now Mahabodhi temple complex. You may want to visit -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabodhi_Temple for more information on Mahabodhi temple.
 |
Mahabodhi temple
entrance |
|
 |
| Mahabodhi temple |
|
 |
| Cankamana |
|
 |
| Bodhi tree |
|
Cankamana : Buddha spent his third week walking up and down this platform. Each lotus represents the spots where Budhha's feet rested.
Bodhi tree (Bodhi Palankya) : The place of enlightenment
 |
| Temple outer walls |
|
 |
A section of the beautiful
Mahabodhi
temple
|
|
 |
| Towards the entrance |
|
 |
| Beautiful lotus flowers |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment