I am presenting this post in connection with the #Connect’s Home Page Location Challenge - Let’s share experience and information. by me ( @Rohan10 ) Out of 10 locations appearing on the Connect Home Page, I have visited only one location i.e.08. The Great Buddha Statue, Bodh Gaya, India. Out of the rest locations most of them are in my Bucket list.
In 2011 & 2017, I had visited, the Great Buddha Statue, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India which is located near Mahabodhi Mahavihara, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India with my father Mr. Vijay Mudshingikar for his documentary work. All the photos I am going to share here were clicked by my Father Mr. Vijay Mudshingikar. Mahabodhi Mahavihara is sitauted at Bodh Gaya which is located at South of the state capital Bihar, Patna and 16 km from the headquarter at Gaya in Eastern India.
The Peepal Tree under which Siddharth Gautam attained enlightenment & was transformed into Tathagat Buddha, is also known as Bodhi tree. Peepal Tree is having its scientific name as Sacred fig. Bodhi means enlightenment. Whole world acquired a way to the Buddha philosophy, world peace & Nirvana. Because of this Peepal tree, ancient Uruvela became Buddha Gaya. That’s why, this Dhamma place is considered as incredibly significant throughout the world.
At the very place, underneath the shadow of the Peepal tree, where Siddharth Gautam sat for meditation & made Vajrasan. Emperor Ashok erected a platform & made a permanent Vajrasan with red Balua stones.
In the second century, Mahabodhi Vihar was constructed, adjacent to the Bodhi tree (in below photo we can see the Bodhi Tree behind the temple). Due care was taken not to disturb or alter the Vajrasan in any way. Later on, Bengal’s ruler, King Pal, restored this Vihara & at present its height is 180 feet. At both the sides of the Eastern main doors of this Mahabodhi Vihar, there are statues of Tathagat Buddha.
In the sanctum sanctorum, the 1200 years old, huge image of compassionate Buddha looks mesmerizing, in which he is sitting in a ‘Bhumi sparsh Mudra’ (Ground touch Pose) depicting the event of enlightenment.
Not only the Buddha followers, but everybody considers Bodh Gaya as a sacred place. Emperor Ashoka has named this sacred place as ‘Sambodhi’ in his inscriptions. Later on, this Dhamma place became well known by the name of ‘Mahabodhi’. The famous Chinese voyager Huenshang has mentioned this place as ‘Mahabodhi Vihar’. Afterwards, this Vihara was deserted and fell into ruin. It was rediscovered & was brought into lime light in 1861, by Mr. Alexzander Cunningham, the then Director General of Archeological Survey of India & that’s the way the structure stands even today.
The Great Buddha statue is UNESCO World Heritage since 2002 and one of the popular Buddhist sacred place and tourist circuit destination in Bodh Gaya, Bihar (India). This Great Buddha statue is 64 feet high depicting the Buddha seated in a meditation pose which is Bhumi Sparsh Mudra (Ground Touch Pose) which is also depicting the enlightenment moment on a lotus under Peepal tree. The total height of the statue is 80 feet of which the Buddha seating height is 64 feet, the lotus is around 6 feet and the lower pedestal is around 10 feet.
The statue was designed by V. Ganapati Sthapati and took approximately seven years to complete. Around 12,000 stonemasons from Rajasthan constructed this Great Buddha Statue with a combination of sandstone and red granite blocks and 1003 stone pellets. There is a hollow spiral staircase inside the statue by which we can go up to the chest of statue. This Great Buddha statue is constructed in a vicinity of the garden of Mahabodhi Mahaviahara.
On either side of this sculpture, there are 10 other figures in upright position. They are the statues of Buddha’s 10 disciples including figurines of Anand, Sariputra & Rahul. The Great Buddha statue was inaugurated on 18 November 1989 by the 14th Dalai Lama. The Great Buddha Statue was constructed by Dajikyo Temple, Japan under their slogan “Spread Buddha’s ray to the whole World”.
Following information I would like to share here:
- Amongst 10 locations appearing on the Connect’s Home Page, my favorite location is Great Buddha Statue, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India and Great Pyramid of Giza.
- Due to my keen interest in ancient places and their culture I would like to visit Great Pyramid of Giza and Great Sphinx of Giza in future.
- According to me, the specialty of Buddha Statue is its height. Tathagat Gautam Buddha lived for 80 years. Hence statue’s height was planned for 80 feet. Also, this is UNESCO Worlds Heritage site declared in 2002.
- Typical Indian foods is available near to this place. Also, Bodh Gaya Main Market is located near by to this place where you can buy souvenir and also enjoy street food. The Anarta and Tilkut are famous dishes there which is similar like Kachori but its roasted not fried.
Accessibility at this place is great. You may get all the necessary help for accessibility.
Nearby attractions are:
- Mahabodhi Mahavihara
- Dajiokiyo Buddhist Temple,
- Bodhi Tree
- Muchalinda Sarovar
- Mahabodhi Chinese Temple
- Wat Thai Monastery
- Royal Bhutan Monastery
- Japanese Temple
Time:
05:00 Hrs. to 21:00 Hrs.
How to reach:
Air: Nearest Airport is Gaya Airport which just 7 km from Gaya main city. This Airports has direct flights to Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi.
Road: Nearest City Gaya city which is connected to Patna in 3- hrs and to Varanashi in appx 6 hrs. Direct bus services are available to Patna, Rajgir
and Varanasi.
Rail: Nearest Railway Station is Gaya Junction. Mahaparinirvan Express is special train service offers for visiting all the Buddhist Circuit in India.
I hope this post gives you idea of the Great Buddha Statue, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India which is appearing at Connect’s Home Page Location and also inspires you to visit this location in your near future.
Thank you so much 
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