Temple_at_Bodh_Gaya

//**BODH GAYA**//

The Temple at Bodh Gaya (Also known as the Mahabodhi Temple) is located in the state of Bihar, in the northeast region of India, and is believed to be the very place where Buddha reached enlightenment. The original temple was constructed in 3rd century B.C., under the Emporer Asoka, but the temple was rebuilt sometime within 5th or 6th century B.C. It also underwent a restoration in 1880, nearly two-thousand years after it's reconstruction. It stands 50 meters high and overlooks much of the surrounding city. It once overlooked the original Bodhi Tree, the very Banyan tree underwhich Guatama, the Buddha, achieved nirvana. The Bodhi Tree is a very important symbol for the entire religion of Buddhism. Though the first Bodhi Tree has long since been destroyed, the tree that stands there today is allegedly a direct decendant of the original.



The importance of the Mahabodhi temple is not only the scenery around it, and its impressive architecture, but it also has profound spiritual meaning. Not only is the temple astounding, and planned out in every way, but the land which the temple rests on is also sacred. The temple is placed the exact place where Buddha reached nirvana. Being the place where Buddha reached enlightenment Bodh Gaya has grown in to a populated city, as well as a cultural land mark for all of Buddhism. The carvings and symbols on the temple walls also depict much of the life of the Buddha and his journey to enlightenment.




 * Research:

We began by following the original link we obtained upon starting the project. Here, we learned that the temple was built around the "Bodhi Tree" and that "The Temple at Bodh Gaya" was not it's formal name. We then proceeded to search the MICDS databases, starting with the ABCLIO Ancient History and Gale Research centers. "Bodhi Tree", "Bodh Gaya", and "The Temple at Bodh Gaya" both returned no specific information about the temple, but ABCLIO did return a short paragraph about the Bodhi Tree's significance (see the first source below). From here we learned that the original Bodhi Tree had been destroyed. We also learned that it is also called the "Bo Tree", but that returned no results from any MICDS databases. We had reached a bit of a dead end, so we began to use search engines. We went to the Wikipedia page and found the //sources// used for the article. One source (UNESCO World Heritage, see below) was particularly useful and gave us much information about the construction of the temple. It also told us that the temple is formaly known as the "Mahabodhi Temple". We used this search term and found a .net and a .edu source, both of which contained very nice photographs. We used the information from these sources combined with the info from the UNESCO site to create the primary section of our wiki. **

"Bodhi Tree." //World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras//. ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 9 Sep. 2009.  //Washington University Libraries//. 9 September 2009. 9/9/09 <[] >

//BuddhaNet: Buddhist Education and Information Network//. 9 September 2009. 9/9/09 <[] >

"Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya" //UNESCO World Heritage Centre//. 9 September 2009. 9/9/09 <[] >

//**Temple At Bodh Gaya (Libby McKown and Masha Podokshik)**//

The temple at Bodh Gaya is important in the development of religion in Asia. The reason is because the temple is a very spiritual and sacred place. It is said that somewhere on the temple grounds, Siddhartha Gautama meditated. On one of the nights when he was meditating under a Bodhi tree when he was attacked by evil spirits. This did not faze Siddhartha and he kept on meditating. He managed to ward of the evil spirits and in doing so reached Supreme enlightenment. Now, this place is considered sacred and many people believe that this is where the Buddha achieved nirvana. For many Buddhist followers, the Bodh Gaya is considered one of the most important places in their pilgrimage, just for the reason that this is where the Buddha reached enlightenment. It is located in Bihar, India (eastern India). The picture below is of the Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gaya. Mahabodhi temple means "Great awakening". This is where it is said that Siddhartha Gautama achieved Nirvana. The Mahabodhi temple is constructed out of brick



Siddhartha Guatama sat under a Bodhi tree that was located at Bodh Gaya. The temple at Bodh Gaya is one of the four holy sites that are related to the life of the Lord Buddha. Under the Bodhi tree, it is said Siddhartha sat here on the night meditating when he reached supreme enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is not only for Buddhist. Many other people Referred to it as:Mahbodhi or Supreme Wisdom Temple and Vajrasanagandhakuti (Great Temple of the Adamnantine (Diamond) Throne0. It is associated to the cults of:Siva and Vishnu

Built in 250 BC Rebuilt in 100 AD Repaired in 11th century by Bermese Buddhists Repaired in 1875 after years of neglect
 * Building and Repairs:**

1.) Myer, Prudence R. “The Great Temple at Body-Gaya.” The Art Bulletin, Vol.40, No. 4. December 1958. UNESCO.org. September 9, 2009. United Nations 2.) Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, September 8,2009.http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php- URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html 3.)"Bodhi Tree." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras.ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 9 Sep. 2009. . 4.) Archaeological Survey of India. September 9, 2009. http://www.asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_mahabodhi.asp Renaissance Reizen (I) Pvt. Ltd. September 9, 2009. http://www.rrindia.com/bihar/bihar-map.html
 * Bibliography:**

We first started out by going to google and looking up temple at Bodh Gaya and we kept updating and refining the search until we found credible sources. Then we looked up Bodh Gaya using the MICDS database to look up sources that were 100% credible. To look for insights into the temple, we first looked in the MICDS Library databases as well. We looked at the art; we put into the search button "Temple at Bodh Gaya" and instantly got results. We used most of this information for our project. We would have had a harder time finding credible sources if it weren't for us being informed about the databases before we started looking.
 * Research Notes:**