Under The Bodhi Tree!

I was in Patna recently for a family event . This was my first ever visit to the city and I was keen on making a trip to Bodhgaya, the site of the Mahabodhi Temple and the sacred Bodhi Tree, where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment before being known as Gautam Buddha. It is one of the major pilgrimage destinations, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fortunately there was a spare day, so we planned a trip.

We hired a car and set off towards the holy site in the morning. Various searches had shown the distance to be between 95 and 120 kilometres. The driver, a young and slender lad, was chatty and friendly. He asked us if we had any preference between the two routes available to reach Bodhgaya. We told him to choose the route where road conditions were better. He said, we'll take the Hilsa-Islampur route, as the other route was under repair, and hence not in a good condition. 

It was a warm day and we were passing through fields and villages, getting a glimpse of rural Bihar. The village markets were bustling with women buying fruits and vegetables from roadside shops. The driver said, they were preparing for the upcoming Teej festival. The narrow streets in the villages and the crowds in the markets slowed down our speed, and it took us almost four hours to reach Bodhgaya from the time we started from our hotel, much longer than what we had anticipated.

The Thai Monastery

Inside the Thai Monastery

Vehicles are not allowed, so we took a battery-operated rickshaw to visit the Mahabodhi Temple. Suddenly the landscape changed! The streets were lined with colourful Buddhist temples and monasteries on both sides. Bhutan, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and many other countries where followers of Buddhism live, have a presence here in the form of these lovely prayer houses. We stopped by two of them, one belonging to Bhutan, and the other to Thailand. Both had very ornate and elaborate decorations around the idol of Buddha, which was very placid and restful in stark contrast. Both the monasteries are lovely, quiet and well-kept.

I am told the township of Bodhgaya is served by Gaya airport, which is just five kilometres from the Mahabodhi Temple and about 12 kilometres from Gaya. It is a seasonal airport where special flights from Buddhist countries bring pilgrims to this important destination.

The Royal Bhutan Monastery

Inside the Royal Bhutan Monastery

Soon, we were at the Mahabodhi Temple. Mobile phones are not permitted inside the complex and one has to deposit them at the entrance. Cameras are allowed after paying a fee. But unfortunately I did not have one.

Outside the Mahabodhi Temple

The Temple is strikingly beautiful. There are two Shikhara towers, the taller of them crowned with a stupa-shaped structure, with finials adorning its top. The structures are covered with magnificent artwork, most of which is in a very good shape. I read somewhere that the material is brick covered by stucco, which is not so durable as stone. The structure that we see today has undergone several renovations over the centuries. The original temple is believed to have been built by Emperor Ashoka 200 years after Buddha's enlightenment, which in turn occurred around 2500 years ago. 

There is a small queue to enter, and the Buddha you see is bereft of any ornamentation or decoration, radiating peace with those compassionate eyes, and gentle lips with subtle hint of a smile. I spent some quiet moments and came out to find an arrow pointing to the Bodhi Tree.

It is a sprawling peepal tree at the back of the temple. It is said to be a direct descendant of the original tree. The trunk of the tree has been fenced by railings on all sides, around which there is a large platform. There was a big group of pilgrims dressed in white, all of them from Sri Lanka, sitting around the tree on the platform, reading and reciting something from booklets held in their hands. A group of monks dressed in saffron was circumambulating the tree and the temple in silence. It was a hot afternoon, but it felt as if the shade of the tree enveloped you in a comforting embrace. We sat down for a while. It was very peaceful, and it felt wonderful to be there among those pilgrims and monks. Occasionally, the leaves rustled with the breeze, and some of them came tumbling down, only to be picked up instantaneously by someone or the other. Our driver, who had accompanied us to the temple, was quick to grab one for me. I have saved it as a prized souvenir of the trip.

The temple is surrounded by green stretches of lawn dotted with beautiful small stupas. They offered excellent photo opportunities, but alas, my mobile was taken away and I had no camera! We walked in the complex, admiring the structures, visiting the lake, looking at rows and rows of burning lamps in a covered shed, taking in the hundreds and thousands of paper cups filled with flowers, placed on the ledges in perfect order by the pilgrims. It was all very tranquil, very blissful.

Photos by Lata

Before going back to our parked car, we made a stop at the Giant Buddha. It is a modern structure, consecrated in 1989. Made of sandstone blocks and red granite, it is perhaps the largest statue built in India. The 64 ft. tall figure depicts the Buddha meditating under the sky in open air. 

It is time to get back to Patna. Another four hours to get there. I am happy I got an opportunity to make it to Bodhgaya. A place steeped in history that still holds an appeal for us with its serenity and calm.