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The Bodhgaya Temple: Whose Structure Is It?

The Bodhgaya Temple: Whose Structure Is It? T HE B ODHGAYA T EMPLE : W HOSE S TRUCTURE I S I T ? F REDERICK M. A SHER University of Minnesota A s one approaches the site of Bodhgaya, where Sakyamuni attained supreme Enlightenment and thereby became the Buddha, one mon- ument towers above the relatively fl at landscape. This is the Mahabodhi Temple, a structure that has come to symbolize the center of the reli- gion that we now call Buddhism. More than any other site associated with the faith, it draws pilgrims from many parts of the globe as well as others who come to partake of a spirit that is associated with the place, perhaps to meditate, perhaps simply to draw in a tranquility that is far more palpable at Bodhgaya than at most of India’s other ancient sites, where tourists are invariably harassed by guides and souvenir sellers. Both are present at Bodhgaya, but they seem less obtrusive than they do elsewhere. Indeed the word tranquility dominates descriptions of the place, and that does not feel entirely misstated. Tibetan monks, Buddhists from Sri Lanka and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and even the scru ff y Westerners give a fl avor to http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Religion and the Arts Brill

The Bodhgaya Temple: Whose Structure Is It?

Asher, Frederick
Religion and the Arts , Volume 8 (1): 58 – Jan 1, 2004
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2004 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1079-9265
eISSN
1568-5292
DOI
10.1163/1568529043602766
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

T HE B ODHGAYA T EMPLE : W HOSE S TRUCTURE I S I T ? F REDERICK M. A SHER University of Minnesota A s one approaches the site of Bodhgaya, where Sakyamuni attained supreme Enlightenment and thereby became the Buddha, one mon- ument towers above the relatively fl at landscape. This is the Mahabodhi Temple, a structure that has come to symbolize the center of the reli- gion that we now call Buddhism. More than any other site associated with the faith, it draws pilgrims from many parts of the globe as well as others who come to partake of a spirit that is associated with the place, perhaps to meditate, perhaps simply to draw in a tranquility that is far more palpable at Bodhgaya than at most of India’s other ancient sites, where tourists are invariably harassed by guides and souvenir sellers. Both are present at Bodhgaya, but they seem less obtrusive than they do elsewhere. Indeed the word tranquility dominates descriptions of the place, and that does not feel entirely misstated. Tibetan monks, Buddhists from Sri Lanka and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and even the scru ff y Westerners give a fl avor to

Journal

Religion and the Arts – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 2004

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