Mahābodhi Tree of Bodh Gaya

Mahābodhi Tree of Bodh Gaya

Tradition

Buddhist — Most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world

Location

• Bodh Gaya, Gaya, Bihar, India (24.6965°N, 84.9911°E)
• UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2002)

Timeline

| Year | Event | Source | |------|-------|--------| | c. 528 BCE | Siddhartha Gautama attains enlightenment under original Bodhi tree | Buddhist tradition | | c. 250 BCE | Emperor Ashoka establishes monastery and shrine | UNESCO; Ashoka's Major Rock Edict No.8 | | 249 BCE | Sanghamitta takes Bodhi sapling to Sri Lanka; planted at Anurādhapura (still living) | Mahavamsa; Sri Lankan chronicles | | c. 1st c. BCE | First temple depicted on Sanchi Stupa reliefs | ASI archaeological records | | c. 400-410 CE | Faxian visits; describes Bodhi tree and temple in Fo-Kwo-Ki | Faxian's travel records | | c. 635 CE | Xuanzang visits; provides detailed description in Si-Yu-Ki | Xuanzang's travel records | | 7th c. CE | Sri Lankan king Kittisirimegha builds Sangharama monastery | Xuanzang; Samuel Beal translation | | 11th-13th c. | Islamic invasions damage/destroy Buddhist structures | Historical records; UNESCO | | 1885 | British Archaeological Survey rediscover and document ruins | Colonial records | | 1956 | ASI restoration of Mahabodhi Temple | Official ASI records | | 2002 | UNESCO World Heritage inscription | UNESCO WHC, 26th session | | 2013 | Bombings by Indian Mujahideen (two monks injured) | NIA records; media |

Foreign Traveler Quotes

"In the country of Magadha, the Bodhi tree still exists. The tree is a large specimen, and beneath it the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment is marked by a stone pillar. Pilgrims from all countries come here to worship." — Faxian (Fa-Hien), Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Fo-Kwo-Ki, c. 400-410 CE

"The Bodhi tree is still standing, and the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment is covered by a stone platform. The tree is about 100 feet high, and its branches spread out in all directions. The king of Sri Lanka has erected a Sangharama nearby for the monks who come from that country to worship at this holy place." — Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang), Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, Si-Yu-Ki, c. 635 CE

"The Mahabodhi temple is magnificent and beautiful. The statue of the Buddha in the temple is made of copper and is about 20 feet high. The temple is surrounded by a wall, and there are many smaller shrines within the complex. Pilgrims from all over the world come to worship here." — Xuanzang, recorded in Samuel Beal's translation of Si-Yu-Ki, 1888

Sacred Narrative

The current Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya is a direct descendant (~5th generation) of the original tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. The original was cut down by Ashoka's wife; a sapling was taken to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitta in 249 BCE and planted at Anurādhapura (still living, oldest human-planted tree in the world). That Anurādhapura tree's sapling was later brought BACK to Bodh Gaya as the current tree. An unbroken biological-pilgrimage-lineage for 2,500+ years.

Mahabodhi Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002) sits at 24°41′43″N 84°59′38″E and contains the Vajrasana (Diamond Throne) and the Bodhi tree. The temple's history is documented by the Chinese pilgrims Faxian (5th century) and Xuanzang (7th century), whose accounts provide invaluable historical records of the site through centuries of Buddhist civilization, decline, and modern revival.

The site was attacked by Islamic forces in the 13th century and was damaged/destroyed along with surrounding Buddhist monasteries. It was rediscovered by British archaeologists in the 19th century and restored by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1956.