A Short History of the Mahabodhi Temple in  Bodhgaya

The history of Bodhgaya is about 2500 years old. In the sixth century B.C., prince Siddhartha Gautama attained supreme enlightenment at this holy place and became the Buddha. In commemoration of this event, emperor Asoka set-up the Vajrasana (Diamond Throne) of polished sandstone representing the seat of enlightenment in third century B.C. Thereafter, he built a stupa in veneration of the Buddha which remained there upto the second century A.D. The original structure of Mahabodhi Mahavihara temple was completed in seventh century A.D. during the reign of Gupta kings.

Much of the history of Bodhgaya is known from its inscriptions, graffiti and to a lesser extent literary accounts of the many pilgrims who visited throughout the centuries. During the long reign of the Pala Kings of Bengal, the Mahabodhi Temple received lavish patronage, and most of the images and Stupas that can still be seen in and around the temple date from this period. Several inscriptions mention Pala Kings as having made gifts and endowments as did Kings from other parts of India.

The beginning of the thirteenth century saw much of India in chaos due to the invasion by the Turkish Empire. Invading Muslim armies destroyed temples and defaced statues. There is no record of exactly how and when Bodhgaya was destroyed, but there are records that in the onslaught the Turks put to death innumerable monks and destroyed images and shrines.

During the Turkish rule, the Mahabodhi temple fell into ruins due to deliberate destruction and neglect, and the visits of pilgrims became less and less frequent. All accounts of the temple prior to the British restoration in 1880 indicate that it was an uncared for and neglected ruin, with the ground floor and second floor chambers collapsed. An accumulation of rubbish around the temple meant that the level of the ground had reached above the niches on the outer wall.

In 1802, the Burmese sent a mission to Bodhgaya, and the British also became interested. Francis Hamilton's 1811 visit didn't yield a published report until 1836, however Alexander Cunningham was led to recommend excavations after his visit in 1861.

The initial excavations were led by Major Mead, but no report was ever published and today the papers whereabouts are unknown. It was in 1880 that the Governor of Bengal appointed J.D. Beglar to restore the temple in conjunction with the Burmese. This restoration was based on earlier models of the temple found in the local area. Some say that this sadly destroyed much of the original nature of the temple by rebuilding the front pavilion and four corner towers and covering the arched doorway despite the physical evidence these existed at an earlier stage.

The arches and corner towers have been a major source of controversy in the modern restoration. It is possible that the arches had already been covered when the temple received its last major ancient restoration in the Pala period. At that time, a third sandstone floor was laid, the inner throne was refaced and the tower was rebuilt and replastered. It seems most probable that the models of the temple (that formed the basis for the modern restoration) were made no earlier than this period. The most elaborate of these depicts a temple with a tall straight-sided tower surmounted by a large Stupa, and surrounded with four smaller corner towers of similar design. A large rectangular doorway provides entrance to the second story. Little evidence of the corner towers remained when restoration began in the 1800s. However, one photograph of the temple during clearance reveals a ribbed object near the south-east corner of the plinth, that might be the remains of a small Stupa.

Cunningham wrote; "This additional work has been much criticised, and I have been roundly abused for it in company with Mr. Beglar, although I had nothing whatsoever to say to it. At the same time I must confess that, since I have seen it, I think this design of the front pavilion is a very successful completion to the entrance in the style and spirit of the original work, as shown in the model. It is of course a 'restoration' which, as it was based on the double authority of existing remains and an ancient model, I consider legitimate and justifiable."

At the beginning of the 18th century a wandering Sanyasi (Monk) named Gossain Ghamandi Giri arrived at the village of Bodhgaya and ultimately decided to make it his home. Close to the ruins of the Mahabodhi temple, he erected a Saivite temple and gathered around him a large number of followers.

Many images and statues were moved from the ruins of the Mahabodhi temple to his compound, where they may still be found today. Gradually his devotees grew and he became a Mahant, a very powerful person in the area. In the years that followed, the Mahant staked a claim on the Mahabodhi temple and made it part of his expanding domain. There is no evidence, however, that he was officially granted the Mahabodhi Temple by the Muslim Emperor in Delhi.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Anagarika Dharmapala a devout pilgrim from Sri Lanka claimed the Mahabodhi Temple for Buddhists. The current Mahant, however, insisted it belonged to him. In spite of opposition from both the British and Hindu quarters, Dharmapala continued to wage a campaign to restore the Mahabodhi temple to Buddhists. For a number of years he and the Mahant were embroiled in legal battles over the ownership. Finally in 1906 the trial ended in defeat to Dharmapala, yet this did not discourage him. He continued to wage a relentless appeal. Finally in 1949 the Bodhgaya Temple Act was passed, making provision for a committee of four Buddhists and four Hindus to manage the affairs of the temple.

The gold painted statue of Buddha in the sanctum shrine of the Temple is made of Black stone built by the Pala kings of Bengal. The Buddha is seen seated in the Bhumisparsa Mudra or the Earth touching posture.
The Mahabodhi Mahavihara has now been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO on the 27th June 2002.

In the Temple complex, one can also visit the other seven places where the Buddha spent in meditation after the attainment of Enlightenment. Al these places are situated inside the temple complex.