BODHGAYA

In the fertile land of Bihar, crisscrossed by rivers, more than 2,500 years ago had arrived a young ascetic, Siddhartha, who was looking for answers to human sufferings. In the small and scenic  village, now modern day Bodhgaya, on the banks of the sandy Neranjara river (now known as Phalgu), Siddhartha is said to have found a quiet retreat under the Bo or Bodhi tree, where he sat in meditation till he attained supreme knowledge. It is said that a demon named Mara tried to disrupt this meditation for 49 days with natural calamities and beautiful temptresses, but in vain. Another story says that as the young man settled down to meditate, a young cow-herder named Sujata noticed him and moved by his gaunt appearance, she brought him a bowl of kheer (sweet rice pudding). Not only did the meal give him strength but it is said it also inspired his thoughts on following the Middle Path.

Buddhist legends say the young man didn’t stop till he attained Samma Sambodhi on Vaisakhi Purnima, the full-moon day in the month of April-May. Siddhartha had become the enlightened one or Buddha. It is said that the first temple at this sacred site was built by Mauryan emperor Ashoka, who believed in Buddhism, in the 3rd century BC. While modern scholars differ in their opinion about the temple’s birth, history says that a similar structure existed substantially the same as it is today when the Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang visited Bodhgaya in around  7th century. Two hundred years earlier, another Chinese traveller Fa Hien  had written about seeing a stupa marking the place where Buddha was enlightened.

Today, Bodhgaya  is a bustling town that attracts thousands of Buddhist followers and tourists from across the world. However, despite the crowds, the city seems to be suspended in time, as monks in saffron and maroon robes walk around the monuments and temples, their chants and prayers enveloping the surroundings in a cocoon of peace. Bodhgaya is at the heart of Buddhism, which flourished here for several centuries.