BODH GAYA: SIDDHARTHA IN SEARCH OF SALVATION -A travelogue to Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh Gaya)

THE PIPAL TREE- VAJRASANA

ANIMESH LOCHAN STHAL

CHAKRAMANA STHAL

AJAPALA NIGRODHA TREE

MUCHILINDA LAKE

RAJYATNA TREE STHAL

BUTTER LAMP COMPLEX

MAHABODHI TEMPLE

GAUTAMA- THE BUDDHA

The next morning, I winded up my work at Gaya, checked out of the hotel and took an auto for Bodh Gaya. My auto took the same route which might have been taken by Prince Siddhartha 2500 years back. The quarrel between the Shakya and Koliye kshatriyas over water sharing of river Rohini had flared up and a war was imminent. This disenchanted Prince Siddhartha who decided to leave the kingdom. After all, he was a descendent of both these dynasties- Koliye kshatriyas from his maternal grandfather side and of Shakya from his paternal grandfather’s side. Deserting his wife, child and kingdom, Siddhartha proceeded on an unknown journey in search of truth and peace not only for himself but for the humanity. However, his journey from Kapilvastu to Bodh Gaya wasn’t a routine one and he wandered from place to place before reaching Bodh Gaya. Here at Uruvela, Siddhartha sat for meditation under a pipal tree on the banks of river Niranjana, where he finally attained enlightenment. The tumultuous journey from Kapilvastu to Bodh Gaya thus culminated in the successful transformation of Prince Siddhartha into Gautama-the Buddha. 

The place of central attraction at Bodh Gaya is undoubtedly the Mahabodhi temple and the Bodhi tree (Pipal tree) behind it. Prince Siddhartha spent six years meditating rigorously at this place in the company of five saints namely Kaundinya, Ashwajeet, Mahanaam, Bhadrik and Vapp, foregoing even food and water at times in pursuit of his goal. His companion left him one after another. Siddhartha realized true knowledge can never be acquired merely by severe austerities which may even lead to death. Moreover, when the body is put under great stress the mind fails to concentrate. With this realization, Siddhartha crossed over to the eastern bank of river Niranjana where he was offered Kheer (rice cooked in milk) by Sujata. This saved Siddhartha’s life and re-energized his body. He went back to Uruvela with renewed strength and resolve and sat under the famous pipal tree (ficus religiosa) on a seat made of kusha (grass) in meditation, facing eastwards. Siddhartha attained enlightenment the next morning. Siddhartha thus transformed into Gautama- the Buddha meaning the enlightened one and came to be reverently referred to as Tathagatha (He who has attained Truth), and Sankhya Muni (sage of the Sankhya clan). Buddha decided to share his knowledge with his five companions who had left him for Sarnath one after another. But before proceeding to Sarnath, Buddha spent seven more weeks at seven different places in the precincts of Mahabodhi temple meditating further, contemplating and firming up his belief in his acquired knowledge and its implication for the human race as a whole. These seven places are considered pious by every Buddhist. All these seven places are located within the precincts of the Mahabodhi temple. I decided to take a detour to these seven sacred places before entering the main temple. 

During the first week of meditation, Buddha spent his time at the Vajrashana (The Diamond Throne). Vajrashana is the seat of Enlightenment- the seat where Siddhartha attained enlightenment. This Vajrashana was later on developed by King Ashoka in the third century B.C. The Vajrashana lies between the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi Tree. It is a 3 feet raised seat made of red sandstone which is 7 ½ feet long and 4, 5/6 feet broad. 

During the second week, Buddha meditated in standing posture gazing at the Bodhi Tree without flicking his eyelids from the Animesh Lochana Chaitya (Animesha: without flicking the eyelid; Lochan: eyes). 

In the third week, Buddha meditated at the Chankramana. This is located north of Mahabodhi temple and Buddha meditated here walking up and down in the Chankramana corridor. Presently a long platform has been constructed to commemorate this great event.

During the fourth week, Buddha meditated at the small roofless shrine situated in the north-west of the Mahabodhi temple which came to be called Ratanaghar or the Jewel House. 

In the fifth week, Buddha meditated under the Ajapala Nigrodha Tree situated right in front of the Mahabodhi Temple, just a little away from the last step of the eastern gate. Here Buddha acquired the knowledge that a Brahman becomes a Brahman not by birth but by his Karma and accordingly advised a Brahman.

In the sixth week, Buddha meditated at the Muchilinda Lake (Lotus Lake). It is located south of Mahabodhi Temple. Here Buddha is seen seated in the lap of the snake king Muchilinda who also protects him from rain and thunder by spreading his hood over Buddha. This is similar to the sheshnaag shayanam (resting on sheshnaag) of Lord Vishnu. 

In the seventh week, Buddha sat under the Rajayatana Tree which is situated on south-east of Mahabodhi Temple. While meditating at this place, two Burmese traders became the first devotees of Buddha and obtained from him some of his curly locks which is still preserved in the Shwedagon Pagoda in Burma. 

On the conclusion of the seven-week of intense meditation, Gautama Buddha overcame all his impurities and false views regarding life. He concluded that the purpose of life lay neither in strict asceticism nor in extreme luxury, but by way of a Middle Path which balanced the excesses of human life. He concluded that human life is based on “Chattari Arya Sachchani” or the Four Noble truth which was : (i) life is miserable; (ii) desire is the cause of earthy life; (iii) one should shun desire to end earthy life, and (iv) desires can be shunned or curbed by following the Eightfold Path which lay emphasis on Right~ (i) Aspirations; (ii) Conduct; (iii) Contemplation; (iv) Effort; (v) Livelihood; (vi) Mindfulness; (vii) Speech; and (viii) Views. This is the core of the Buddhist philosophy and way of life which Buddha ordained every human being to follow to overcome his miseries. This has remained the pivot of Buddhist teaching and all the developments after Buddha left this earth are later day interpolation which only goes on to complicate the central meaning of Buddhist philosophy. Buddha further laid down 10 Commandments for his followers as to “Not to (i) Kill, (ii) Steal, (iii) Commit Adultery, (iv) Utter Lies, (v) Speak ill of others, (vi) Hanker after wealth, (vii) Hate other human beings, (viii) Indulge in fault finding, (ix) Use Profane Language; and (x) to avoid ignorance. Buddhism believes that man’s belief in God and Soul is his ignorance. Buddha did not consider Soul to be infallible as in Hindu religion. Buddha believed that one can attain salvation by one’s own effort and without any outside interference. “Decay is inherent in all component things. Work out your salvation with diligence”- He preached. Buddha opposed certain features of Hindu religion viz; emphasis on rituals and sacrifices but accepted the concepts of Karma and stress on ethical rules of life as practised in Hindu religion.”Karma, He said, “Acts as a very pragmatic God”.   

I finally entered the precincts of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara with Gautama Buddha in my heart. The image of Gautama Buddha in Bhumisparsha mudra in black stone in the Mahabodhi temple is more than two meters in height which makes it the largest surviving seated Buddha. The Bhoomi-sparsha posture relates to the event of attainment of enlightenment by Buddha. In this posture, Gautam Buddha is seen seated on a lotus in a double lotus pose (where one leg rests on top of the other leg and the head of the bottom leg is then pulled up so that it is locked into the top leg). The right-hand faces downward with fingers extended towards the ground, palm facing inward. The left-hand rests in lap with palm open and in the upward direction. This posture signifies insight, purity of character and self-mastery.

The Mahabodhi temple is the earliest existing brick-built temple. From North to South the temple is 23.40 meters in length while from East to West its spread is 27 meters. From plinth to terrace the temple is 170 feet (53.30 meters) in height. The basement of the main temple is 48 square meters and rises in the form of a pyramid topped with a cylindrical shaped peak. At the top of the temple are Chatris which symbolizes the sovereignty of religion. Four towers on its four corners give it a graceful look. The entire courtyard is studded with Stupas more than 2500 years old. 

The Mahabodhi Temple has a chequered history. The Mahabodhi temple and Stupa was built by King Ashoka in the 3rd Century B.C. This Stupa remained at the present location of the Mahabodhi Temple up to 2nd Century A.D. By this time image worship had started in Buddhism and the Stupa was opened to install a Blackstone image of Gautama Buddha. By the time of Guptas, the temple had attained its present forms and features. In the 6th century A.D., the temple underwent a renovation by the Sri Lankan king Meghavarman who also added a pavilion in the courtyard. In the 7th Century A.D. King Sasanka of Bengal uprooted the Bodhi tree in a symbolic gesture to uproot Buddhism from India. However, another pipal tree was brought from Sri Lanka by the King Purushavarman of Sri Lanka who planted it at the place of the original Bodhi tree. This pipal tree at Sri Lanka had its origin in the Mahabodhi pipal tree the seeds of which were taken and planted at Sri Lanka in the 2nd Century B.C. by King Ashoka’s daughter. The Mahabodhi temple was again renovated in the 11th Century A.D. by the Burmese king. In 16th century A.D. Gossain Ghamad Giri established a Shaiva math at Mahabodhi Temple. The final renovation was undertaken by Burmese king Mindon Min in 1874 under the guidance of noted archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham, J. D. M. Beglar and Dr Rajendra Lal Mitra. This was completed in 1884. The temple is presently maintained by a Committee constituted as per the Mahabodhi Temple Act 1949. The Mahabodhi Mahavihara was declared a World Heritage site in June 2002.

Today Bodh Gaya gives an entirely different picture of Buddhism. It has become a commercial hub with hotels and other amenities having coming up in plenty in public-private partnership and as part of international cooperation. It no longer remains the sleepy hamlet where Prince Siddhartha had found enlightenment. The entire Bodh Gaya is replete with monasteries and memorial structures dedicated to Gautama Buddha. These have been built by various countries viz Japan, China, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and other nations where Buddhism is still very popular. Each of these monasteries have images of Gautama Buddha enshrined in them. The entire Mahabodhi Mahavihara complex was filled with Buddhist monks and followers who were seen engaged in various rituals and pujas. Gautama Buddha, who provided the humanity with an alternate to attain salvation by opposing the caste-based ritual centric and sacrifice oriented Hindu religion, would have opposed these malaises had He been alive today. Gautama Buddha had opposed idol worship as practised in Hindu religion but it is an irony that if there is any religion where the idol is worshipped most, it is Buddhism. Gautama Buddha had opposed ritualism as practised in Hindu religion, but Buddhism is mired in the same ritualism as one can see in the Mahabodhi Mahavihara complex. It is true that most of the teachings of Gautama Buddha were not canonized (documented) during his lifetime; but it is also a fact that the core of Gautama Buddha’s teachings are known to every Buddhist and is sufficient enough for one to achieve one’s salvation, without getting into malaises such as idol worship, rituals and sacrifices, which Gautama Buddha had opposed tooth and nail in his lifetime. As I bid adieu to the Bhoomisparsha Buddha at the Mahabodhi temple, I wiped my eyes as tears rolled down my cheeks at the sheer helplessness of the Prince who appears has been isolated by His own followers and stood in a lonely state at this historical site.

I took a cab for my next destination- Rajgir. As the cab whizzed past leaving Gaya behind, I crossed Wazirganj on way- the place immortalized by Dashrath Majhi who by dint of his labour made his place in the annals of the history of India- a person who understood the Buddhist concepts of Karma and salvation better than any other Buddhist and singlehandedly made the road through the mountain to benefit mankind. Buddha would have gladly accepted him into his fold as His true pupil.