There is something about waking up in an unknown place. They range from the mundane to the sublime. Is hot water available at the wee hour you have woken up? Has a bucket been provided in this hotel? How do you figure out the hot and cold faucets without getting drenched fully clothed under the shower? Everything is new and a discovery. Since we usually arrive in the dark the hotel and its environs get a look over in the morning followed by the sightseeing. If we are lucky serendipitous events add charm and make for an exciting and happy day.
So the adventure began early the next morning. The poor driver had slept hungry and had to have his breakfast soon was all I could think as I stepped into the reception. Luckily the receptionist was at the counter and I asked him to provide the driver breakfast and seeing the driver outside I conveyed it to him. The early morning sunlight set the Hotel board on fire and a stall in the campus canvassed for substituting sugar with jaggery. We were ready to leave for the Mahabodhi temple but the driver said all the roads leading to the Temple were closed at that hour. By then my mom stepped out and we decided to take the Electric Vehicle. Up the road we met a four seater EV with two South East Asian women and the driver let us hop in. "She is so beautiful" one of the women gushed in their halting English at my mother. "My mother" I replied, happy. My mom is beautiful. My friends have told me this a million times. The EV cruised at 40 kmph and in five minutes we all alighted at the temple. The ladies clothed in all white had no electronic items to deposit and walked ahead while we dawdled. Pink and white Lotus some with a ring of Marigold around them were being sold at the entrance. A small boy gamely showed them off as I took pictures of it. Knowing mobiles were not allowed I angled my camera and caught a long shot of the Mahabodhi temple tower. The gold finial on top glowed. Then took a picture of my mom at its entrance. My mom walked ahead as I ran to deposit the Mobile phone. That done I walked to the first security check point and she turned me away when she found the portable charger. I went back to deposit it and this time I was stopped at the second checkpoint. What did I have now? The charging cable! And how dangerous was it all by itself? I was stumped but ran back to the locker again.
Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born Siddhārtha Gautama in Lumbini (Nepal) in 563 BCE. Legend has it that as a prince he grew up protected from the realities of life because a seer had prophesied that he would become a great seer if he left the palace. But one day he sees a crippled man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man. This is an eyeopener. He leaves behind his wife and son and sets out to seek truth. And it is at Bodhgaya that he finds enlightenment under the Bodhi [Sacred Fig] tree. He gives his first sermon at Sarnath and dies at Kushinagar in 483 BCE. All these four places, Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar are places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. Bodhgaya is around 15 kms from Gaya and Sarnath is a mere 10 kms from Varanasi / Kashi. Varanasi is considered older than history. And Gaya has been reverential to Hindus for long. Did Buddha chose Bodhgaya and Sarnath because of their proximity to religious and prosperous towns? Or it just s coincidence? Does it signify anything? Food for thought.
Mahabodhi temple is a UNESCO World heritage site and like most ancient temples has been rebuilt many times. We now stood at the top of some steps at the entrance and gaped at the temple. It looked beautiful with its straight Shikhara, unlike the towers(Vimanas) on top of Hindu temples. Wikipedia says this style would go on to influence other Buddhist Architecture across the world including the Pagoda. A photographer offered to take our picture with the temple in the background and we posed for him. That done we climbed down and walked towards it. The place was crowded even at that wee hour. A tourist group singing a Buddhist hymn led by a guide were before us. They seemed to be from a South East Asian country. The song was so melodious. Mesmerized we joined them. They walked in orderly columns like in a march past with the guide facing them and they held a long yellow silk cloth spread among them. This was their offering to the Buddha. I sneaked a look at the lady beside me. She was in a blue sari and wore matching bangles. I looked at her neighbor and she wore a ghagra [Indian skirt]. And the next was in a sari. All the women wore Indian dresses. I was under the spell of the melody and it showed. The guide gently acknowledged it as he led the chorus. I am looking up the internet for that hymn from the time I have arrived. And haven't found it yet. They turned left at the entrance and we turned too. A priest in saffron intoned a hymn through a mike. The crowd before him mumbled the prayer. But the hymn sounded harsh to me and I followed the tourists and their soothing singing. We circumambulated the temple. To its right is the descendant of the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment and is now enclosed by grills. People touched their forehead against it and I stopped to peer inside.
The Cankamana stretched before us. They are spots marking the footsteps of the Buddha as he walked while meditating on the third week. They are marked with Lotuses carved in stone. They were covered with real Lotus as well. People were sitting praying before them. We entered the temple. A huge golden Buddha sat resplendent in Gold. A monk was draping a yellow cloth, perhaps someone's offering on him. It seemed to start at his right shoulder and flow down. We went very close to the Buddha and prayed.
The whole complex was crowded. Monks in red or saffron were all around the main temple, beside the smaller shrines and everywhere. They prayed in groups, they prayed by themselves. On prayer mats akin to a yoga mat people prostrated full length in complete submission, ego including to Buddha. They did it in one fluid movement and didn't rest in between. They bent, put their palms on rectangular pieces of cloth at their side and slid full length to the ground, touched the tip of their head to the ground and brought their palms forward together in obeisance. Quickly they aligned their palms with the shoulder, arched their back and in one seamless movement stood up leaving the piece of cloth in its exact same place. It was very similar to the Surya Namskara in Yoga. This was the first time I had the privilege of seeing Buddhist fervour. I had never seen it before. Does a God demand a certain way of worship or do His followers propitiate him in a particular way? Either way there is a basic set of rules and a creed in every worship.
People with digital cameras were taking pictures all around us. I eyed them sadly. I didn't have one. We came to the top of the stairs and our morning friends came running up to us. While one of them spoke to my mother in halting English the other lady took me to see Avalokitesvara. Then the prayer wheels beckoned and I ran to turn them. There are eight important sites within the complex and I wish we had taken a guide to see them I thought as we picked up the photograph and headed out. Seeing me turning back ever so often to have one last view of the temple the security guard smiled and asked "is this your first time?" I nodded. "Look at the golden finial on top, it is of pure gold " he suggested. I looked at it, smiled a thank you and walked out. We stopped to see the murals of Jataka tales and the carvings on the rails and were waylaid by an old man selling pics of the temple. I picked up an embossed picture of Buddha with the temple in the background.
Just a few steps out of the temple an arch read "Jagannath mandir" and we entered. Inside was a temple and a man was pouring water on the 20 odd steps. We climbed up and in a small Sanctum sat wooden Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. The idols were just like in the pictures of the deities at Jagannath Puri and the priest confirmed it. Thrilled to bits we payed obeisance to Lord Jagannath, his brother and sister. Was Lord Jagannath calling me to Puri? Time will tell. I am more than willing to see him at Puri. And talk about serendipity! It was the first one that day. In an unkept temple beside it was a Shivling. The Buddha, Lord Jagannath and now Shiva, neighbours all. Strange.
A quick stopover for the mobile pickup and breakfast at the hotel and an EV ride later we were at the Great Buddha Statue. A 80 feet tall serene Buddha in Dhyan mudra sat on a Lotus flanked by standing monks in various poses. No two monks were alike. Their hand postures perhaps symbolize something in Buddhism. It was inaugurated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1989 and is built and maintained by the Daijokyo Buddhists. The statue is in open air with a long walkway lined with pillars with Japanese text on them. From far a line of trees that stood guard behind the pillars seemed to converge at the feet of the serene Buddha. They spoke for all of us. Again a group of South East Asian tourists (Thais?) sat listening to a guide. The language was Greek and Latin to me and I went around admiring the monks and taking pictures. A big metal pot was placed in an enclosure before the Buddha and outside the enclosure was a donation box. A man was dropping money into it.
A small roadside shop was being setup and its wares were visible from its tiny door. Were they antiques? I stopped to take a picture as we crossed it.
I think the the explanation given by Daijokyo Buddhists eloquently captures the reason why most of the Buddhist nations maintain a monastery in Bodhgaya. It says but for Buddha's enlightenment at Bodhgaya there would be no Buddhism. So of all the four religious places in Buddhism, Bodhgaya is the most important. Daijokyo monastery is right next door to the Great Buddha statue and is a simple building with pillared walkway similar to that next door. For some reason the pillars with holes on all sides remind me of lanterns. A golden Buddha with a golden Dharmachakra hanging from the roof welcomed us inside. He is flanked by four more statues, his first four disciples I guess. There was not a soul in the temple nor in the whole compound. A statue of its founder Most Rev. Tatsuko Sugiyama welcoming everyone stood by itself in the sun.
I have always wondered how colourful the Buddhist temples are in countries outside India. I remember the Buddha Vihar at Gulbarga in all white except for pastel coloured panels in the roof. The next one I saw was the Tibetan monastery in Byalkuppe and this was so colourful. Like all religions Buddhism too has adopted the native culture and social mores I guess. The Karma temple by the Tibetans was an explosion of colours. It was rich with red and gold and stories from the life of Buddha painted on the walls inside. Buddha as Siddhartha seeing the crippled, the old and the dead man. Siddhartha leaving his wife and son, he is standing looking back one last time at the sleeping duo, such a human emotion. Sujata offering Buddha the porridge of milk and rice and the story of the wild Elephant and many more paintings are found. And a Golden Buddha sits inside a glass enclosure. The entrance is guarded by a huge Lion on either sides and fierce looking men are painted on the outside wall. The door and accompanying pillars are bejeweled in red and gold.
The Bhutanese monastery gate next door looked similarly rich but was closed. All I got was some pictures of the beautiful gate.
Who said white is not a color? The white Buddha against grey temples at Metta Buddharam temple took our breath away. A man in a hurry had parked his car and was taking a selfie as we walked in. I waited for him to walk away to take a picture of it from the other side of the road. But the EV near the temple wouldn't budge. I got it too in my frame. Bejeweled white dragons as balustrades and the grey floors patterned with whorls and golden vases near the Buddha were bewitching. The whorls reminded me of Buddha's curls. A green God sat in a small temple and we saw a standing statue in a glass enclosure. A board read "No entry. Work is under construction" and a guard kept a hawk's eye on everyone.
As I tried to step down the EV driver said "mam that is hotel". I was dumbstruck but on hindsight it looks normal. With all the pretty monasteries a hotel would be modeled similarly. The building beside Metta was white with gold with Buddha in a shrine on top of the tower and I had assumed it was another monastery. I still took pictures.
The next stop was at the Wat Thai temple. We crossed the beautiful white gates decorated with Swans(?) at the top into a driveway. The richly decorated temple with two bejeweled statues beckoned. The statues were in a what is a classic cover drive posture in cricket and held a sword in front. Perhaps they were the equivalents of Jaya, Vijaya , the celestial Gods guarding the Sanctum of Hindu Gods? A golden Buddha was visible through the door. He seemed slim we thought as we entered the richly painted door. This temple had paintings on the walls and the roof had panels in red with gold border. A golden painting in red background rested against the window. Incense burned before him and board read XXX is the best among men and deity. I couldn't read XXX, the incense bowl covered it. The painting was of a man holding a bow and arrow and riding a dragon? Who was he? What were those pointy things on the roof I wondered as we stepped out. A model of the Mahabodhi temple waylaid us and we stopped to give it a once over. A photo exhibition was on one side and on another rested a replica of another temple.
A small girl was walking on a rope stretched high on poles as her mother stood guard as we crossed over to the Bangladesh Monastery. A marble Buddha with the Dharmachakra behind him sat on the top of the three marble tiers. And his disciples (?) sat in the lower tiers. The impressive neon gate was misleading. The setup inside was like the doll show put up in some parts of South India for Dasara. We were disappointed. Buddha was poor here.
How nice the crowd management was in all the temples we thought as we drove out of Bodhgaya half an hour later. A wooden barricade had been placed inside the doors and devotees had to stand behind them. No priest, no guard anywhere. It was just us with Buddha everywhere.
Prev: Two women travel to Gaya, Varanasi against all odds - gallery
Next: But for Buddha's enlightenment at Bodhgaya there would be no Buddhism - gallery
Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism was born Siddhārtha Gautama in Lumbini (Nepal) in 563 BCE. Legend has it that as a prince he grew up protected from the realities of life because a seer had prophesied that he would become a great seer if he left the palace. But one day he sees a crippled man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man. This is an eyeopener. He leaves behind his wife and son and sets out to seek truth. And it is at Bodhgaya that he finds enlightenment under the Bodhi [Sacred Fig] tree. He gives his first sermon at Sarnath and dies at Kushinagar in 483 BCE. All these four places, Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar are places of pilgrimage for Buddhists. Bodhgaya is around 15 kms from Gaya and Sarnath is a mere 10 kms from Varanasi / Kashi. Varanasi is considered older than history. And Gaya has been reverential to Hindus for long. Did Buddha chose Bodhgaya and Sarnath because of their proximity to religious and prosperous towns? Or it just s coincidence? Does it signify anything? Food for thought.
Mahabodhi temple
Entrance to the temple, notice the Dharmachkra
The Cankamana stretched before us. They are spots marking the footsteps of the Buddha as he walked while meditating on the third week. They are marked with Lotuses carved in stone. They were covered with real Lotus as well. People were sitting praying before them. We entered the temple. A huge golden Buddha sat resplendent in Gold. A monk was draping a yellow cloth, perhaps someone's offering on him. It seemed to start at his right shoulder and flow down. We went very close to the Buddha and prayed.
The whole complex was crowded. Monks in red or saffron were all around the main temple, beside the smaller shrines and everywhere. They prayed in groups, they prayed by themselves. On prayer mats akin to a yoga mat people prostrated full length in complete submission, ego including to Buddha. They did it in one fluid movement and didn't rest in between. They bent, put their palms on rectangular pieces of cloth at their side and slid full length to the ground, touched the tip of their head to the ground and brought their palms forward together in obeisance. Quickly they aligned their palms with the shoulder, arched their back and in one seamless movement stood up leaving the piece of cloth in its exact same place. It was very similar to the Surya Namskara in Yoga. This was the first time I had the privilege of seeing Buddhist fervour. I had never seen it before. Does a God demand a certain way of worship or do His followers propitiate him in a particular way? Either way there is a basic set of rules and a creed in every worship.
People with digital cameras were taking pictures all around us. I eyed them sadly. I didn't have one. We came to the top of the stairs and our morning friends came running up to us. While one of them spoke to my mother in halting English the other lady took me to see Avalokitesvara. Then the prayer wheels beckoned and I ran to turn them. There are eight important sites within the complex and I wish we had taken a guide to see them I thought as we picked up the photograph and headed out. Seeing me turning back ever so often to have one last view of the temple the security guard smiled and asked "is this your first time?" I nodded. "Look at the golden finial on top, it is of pure gold " he suggested. I looked at it, smiled a thank you and walked out. We stopped to see the murals of Jataka tales and the carvings on the rails and were waylaid by an old man selling pics of the temple. I picked up an embossed picture of Buddha with the temple in the background.
Just a few steps out of the temple an arch read "Jagannath mandir" and we entered. Inside was a temple and a man was pouring water on the 20 odd steps. We climbed up and in a small Sanctum sat wooden Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. The idols were just like in the pictures of the deities at Jagannath Puri and the priest confirmed it. Thrilled to bits we payed obeisance to Lord Jagannath, his brother and sister. Was Lord Jagannath calling me to Puri? Time will tell. I am more than willing to see him at Puri. And talk about serendipity! It was the first one that day. In an unkept temple beside it was a Shivling. The Buddha, Lord Jagannath and now Shiva, neighbours all. Strange.
At the feet of the Buddha
Monks with different hand postures
Another set of Monks with different hand postures
The Great Buddha on a Lotus
A quick stopover for the mobile pickup and breakfast at the hotel and an EV ride later we were at the Great Buddha Statue. A 80 feet tall serene Buddha in Dhyan mudra sat on a Lotus flanked by standing monks in various poses. No two monks were alike. Their hand postures perhaps symbolize something in Buddhism. It was inaugurated by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1989 and is built and maintained by the Daijokyo Buddhists. The statue is in open air with a long walkway lined with pillars with Japanese text on them. From far a line of trees that stood guard behind the pillars seemed to converge at the feet of the serene Buddha. They spoke for all of us. Again a group of South East Asian tourists (Thais?) sat listening to a guide. The language was Greek and Latin to me and I went around admiring the monks and taking pictures. A big metal pot was placed in an enclosure before the Buddha and outside the enclosure was a donation box. A man was dropping money into it.
A small roadside shop was being setup and its wares were visible from its tiny door. Were they antiques? I stopped to take a picture as we crossed it.
Buddha at the Daijokyo monastery
Most Rev. Tatsuko Sugiyama
Driveway to the monastery
I think the the explanation given by Daijokyo Buddhists eloquently captures the reason why most of the Buddhist nations maintain a monastery in Bodhgaya. It says but for Buddha's enlightenment at Bodhgaya there would be no Buddhism. So of all the four religious places in Buddhism, Bodhgaya is the most important. Daijokyo monastery is right next door to the Great Buddha statue and is a simple building with pillared walkway similar to that next door. For some reason the pillars with holes on all sides remind me of lanterns. A golden Buddha with a golden Dharmachakra hanging from the roof welcomed us inside. He is flanked by four more statues, his first four disciples I guess. There was not a soul in the temple nor in the whole compound. A statue of its founder Most Rev. Tatsuko Sugiyama welcoming everyone stood by itself in the sun.
Karma temple
Buddha painting
The painted roof
Golden Buddha
Siddhartha seeing the old and the dead
Sujata offering Rice milk to Buddha
I have always wondered how colourful the Buddhist temples are in countries outside India. I remember the Buddha Vihar at Gulbarga in all white except for pastel coloured panels in the roof. The next one I saw was the Tibetan monastery in Byalkuppe and this was so colourful. Like all religions Buddhism too has adopted the native culture and social mores I guess. The Karma temple by the Tibetans was an explosion of colours. It was rich with red and gold and stories from the life of Buddha painted on the walls inside. Buddha as Siddhartha seeing the crippled, the old and the dead man. Siddhartha leaving his wife and son, he is standing looking back one last time at the sleeping duo, such a human emotion. Sujata offering Buddha the porridge of milk and rice and the story of the wild Elephant and many more paintings are found. And a Golden Buddha sits inside a glass enclosure. The entrance is guarded by a huge Lion on either sides and fierce looking men are painted on the outside wall. The door and accompanying pillars are bejeweled in red and gold.
Bhutanese monastery closed
Metta Buddharam
Dragon balustrade
A green, black God
Buddha in white
Who said white is not a color? The white Buddha against grey temples at Metta Buddharam temple took our breath away. A man in a hurry had parked his car and was taking a selfie as we walked in. I waited for him to walk away to take a picture of it from the other side of the road. But the EV near the temple wouldn't budge. I got it too in my frame. Bejeweled white dragons as balustrades and the grey floors patterned with whorls and golden vases near the Buddha were bewitching. The whorls reminded me of Buddha's curls. A green God sat in a small temple and we saw a standing statue in a glass enclosure. A board read "No entry. Work is under construction" and a guard kept a hawk's eye on everyone.
A hotel
Wat Thai temple
A slim Buddha
Who is this?
The guard in cover drive pose
The next stop was at the Wat Thai temple. We crossed the beautiful white gates decorated with Swans(?) at the top into a driveway. The richly decorated temple with two bejeweled statues beckoned. The statues were in a what is a classic cover drive posture in cricket and held a sword in front. Perhaps they were the equivalents of Jaya, Vijaya , the celestial Gods guarding the Sanctum of Hindu Gods? A golden Buddha was visible through the door. He seemed slim we thought as we entered the richly painted door. This temple had paintings on the walls and the roof had panels in red with gold border. A golden painting in red background rested against the window. Incense burned before him and board read XXX is the best among men and deity. I couldn't read XXX, the incense bowl covered it. The painting was of a man holding a bow and arrow and riding a dragon? Who was he? What were those pointy things on the roof I wondered as we stepped out. A model of the Mahabodhi temple waylaid us and we stopped to give it a once over. A photo exhibition was on one side and on another rested a replica of another temple.
Doll collection
Bangladesh gate in daylight
How nice the crowd management was in all the temples we thought as we drove out of Bodhgaya half an hour later. A wooden barricade had been placed inside the doors and devotees had to stand behind them. No priest, no guard anywhere. It was just us with Buddha everywhere.
Prev: Two women travel to Gaya, Varanasi against all odds - gallery
Next: But for Buddha's enlightenment at Bodhgaya there would be no Buddhism - gallery
