Bodhgaya
is one of the most important and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage
center in the world. It was here under a banyan tree,
the Bodhi Tree, Gautama attained supreme knowledge to
become Buddha,the Enlightened One. Born; in the foothills
of the Himalayas as a Sakya prince of Kapilvastu , most
of the major events of his life, like enlightenment
and last sermon, happened in Bihar. Buddhism as a religion
was really born in Bihar and evolved here through his
preaching and the example of his lifestyle of great
simplicity, renunciation and empathy for everything
living. Significantly, the state's name of 'Bihar' originated
from 'Vihara' meaning monasteries which abounded in
Bihar. Several centuries after Buddha's passing away,
the Maurya Emperor Ashoka (234-198 BC) contributed tremendously
towards the revival, consolidation and spread of the
original religion. It is the monasteries, Ashoka built
for the Buddhist monks and the pillars known as Ashokan
Pillars erected to commemorate innumerable historical
sites associated with the Buddha's life, mostly intact
to this day, that helped scholars and pilgrims alike
to trace the life events and preaching of a truly extraordinary
man. There is a magnificent Mahabodhi temple and the
Tree from the original sapling still stands in the temple
premises. The temple is an architectural amalgamation
of many centuries, cultures and heritages. While its
architecture has a distinct stamp of the Gupta era,
it has later ages inscriptions describing visits of
pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China between 7th
and 10th century AD. It is perhaps still the same temple
Hieuen Tsang visited in 7th century.
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