Bodh Gaya: In the footsteps of Buddha, from the Mahabodhi Temple to Sujata

That morning, we walk the 700 meters separating Wat Thai from the Mahabodhi temple. The latter is listed in the Unesco World Heritage (since 2002), it is said to have been founded by Emperor Ashoka, 250 years after the Enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.

Ashoka is the very one whose wife (and therefore queen), jealous of his obsession with the Bodhi tree, will destroy the original tree (see the rest of the story here)

Mahabodhi Temple, pillar of Buddhist history

The temple was abandoned for several centuries from the 12th century after being pillaged by Muslim armies.

The lands were recovered by the Hindus in the 1891th century until a Sri Lankan monk came to campaign to have the administration of the temple returned to the Buddhists in 1949. A semi-victorious campaign, because since 9 the temple has been managed by a committee of XNUMX members, but with a Hindu majority...

Entrance to the temple is free, but you are charged a "tax" to bring your camera in, 40 Rs.

Inside the temple grounds, barefoot, we skip on the ground heated by the blazing sun. We take a look inside the 55m main tower, whose major renovation in the 1880s, managed by the British, has restored it to its former splendour (further repairs will also be made in 2006).

At the entrance to the Mahabodhi temple.

The current structures date back approximately 1500 years!

I would learn on my return that one of the monks in charge of the temple would make a lucrative business out of the branches of the sacred tree by cutting and reselling them to tourists, especially to rich Thais. And only 2 months later a series of 9 low-intensity explosions (2 injuries to be deplored) would come to disrupt this high place of pilgrimage.

This is the place where the Buddha spent his third week of meditation. The raised platform with this series of promontories for placing lotus flowers marks the place where the Buddha placed his feet, as he practiced walking meditation, called the Cankamana or the cloister walk.

The interior of the temple, rather disappointing because it is quite sober.

The real Bodhi tree, Buddha's place of meditation

We stopped for a moment under the shade of a Bodhi tree, thinking it was the main tree of the temple, surprised that it was accessible like that. Jitima did a little meditation session, me, true to myself, took pictures…

When we come across the real tree a little further away, it was too much for me to touch its leaves. Jitima wants to imitate me, but she is too small, I start to carry her so that she can also touch the sacred tree, but an Indian will come to see us saying that it is not done... Well ok, it seems legitimate given the sacredness of the place.

Thinking I was in the right spot…

Meanwhile, Tic, or Tac is passing by.

This is the real Bodhi tree, which is therefore a regrowth (several times) of the original, the oldest direct descendant of the original tree being the one seen in Sri Lanka.

As we leave the temple, we hang around in a sort of old sanctuary that seems a little abandoned and we are accosted by 2 young people... To find out what happened at that time of day, I invite you to read the article in question, having wanted to develop the subject separately.

Visit to Sujata Temple

After returning from the "lower depths" of Bodhgaya, we still thank the 2 young people who in the end did not ask for anything, but we still give them 500 Rs (even if we suspect that they must receive a commission...)

They suggested that we go to the Sujata temple (or simply Buddha Temple on Google Maps), some 2,5 km on the other side of the river, which is completely dry at this time of year (remember, it is the beginning of May).

As we had nothing planned for this afternoon, we took a tuk tuk to get there (300 Rs return)

We cross the long bridge to the other bank (the river, completely dry at this time of year, is about 500 m wide at this point), then behind the village of Sujata is the small temple. We missed the Sujata stupa, not far from there, our driver neither passing in front of it nor mentioning it to us…

Water, such a precious commodity…

Children playing shopkeeper with whatever they had.

Crossed a village on the way to the temple.

A short story of Sujata

To summarize who this character is in the history of Buddhism, let's dwell a little on the beginnings of Prince Siddhartha. After a walk in the woods made him realize that his condition protected him from need, but that it would not protect him from old age, illness or even death... The future Buddha, tired of his life as a prince in the palace, left his wife and child to go on horseback with his servant to seek the path to salvation.

Arriving in the surrounding woods, he gives his jewels and his horse to the servant, asking him to greet his father for him, and exchanges his prince's outfit and cloak for those of a poor hunter. A rather austere life of asceticism and meditation then follows.

For six years, before he realized that this was getting him nowhere in understanding this world. That's when he accepted a bowl of rice pudding from a girl from the neighboring village, you guessed it, Sujata (the girl, not the village).

On the road leading to Sujata temple.

He then put an end to his rigid practices and advocated a middle ground consisting of denying excesses, thus refusing austerity, excessive deprivation as well as laxity. For the record, by making this choice, he would then lose the 5 disciples who were already following him at that time.

Shortly after, he will sit under a pipal (the famous ficus religiosa or bodhi tree) and make a vow not to move without having attained the Truth; you know the rest...

At the temple, you are "welcomed" by a row of beggars, then a "guide" starts to follow us, pushing us to make a small donation, which Jitima will do, on the other hand, we will not give anything to the beggars, I keep this terrible image of this little girl who starts to run after our tuk tuk with her arms outstretched... No, India is really not relaxing, psychologically and physically speaking.

This is said to be the place where Sujata, a young woman from a nearby village, offered rice pudding to Siddhartha (before he became Buddha).

Around the temple, kids were playing the national sport, cricket. The setting sun gave a beautiful light to these arid lands. The heat is still very present, but begins to decrease as we return to Bodhgaya.

There are a lot of people walking on the bridge, which is almost useless at this time of year, because the river is no more. Some even cross on foot below, others play cricket there too, taking advantage of this vast space.

Back to Bodhgaya.

Crossing the bridge.

In the middle of a cricket game on the dry river bed.

The beautiful late afternoon light.

Back to square one!

At the Bodhgaya market

On the way back to Bodhgaya, we stopped and got off the tuk tuk as we approached the Bodhgaya market, itself next to the Mahabodhi temple. So it was back to square one of our day as we ended it.

We will stay a little while, time for me to take some pictures and for her to capture the essence of the place with some drawings, in particular portraits like that of this kid, who exudes beauty and intelligence, but who, pushed by the people around him, will end up asking us for money too, as if it is THE way of life par excellence in Bodhgaya, as if poverty were an inevitability of which we were the solution...

The kid, finally insisting, Jitima then offered to buy him an ice cream, which he ended up accepting a little reluctantly, but he would be screwed to ask for 2, pretending that he also needed one for his sister... We ended up wondering if the local "sport" just consisted of extorting money from tourists...

Jitima in drawing mode and his current admirers.

Food distribution at Wat Thai

Returning to the temple after eating at a local restaurant we had spotted the day before, we saw a line of people, clearly enjoying a meal.

We then wonder in what honor, we were therefore told that twice a week, the Thai temple offers a meal to the poorest (including the famous professional beggars… Who take advantage of it)

When the kids saw us, some of them literally shouted at us so that we could take a picture of them... Once they were satisfied, whether with the picture or the food, they all left pretty quickly, leaving their plates behind without cleaning anything... In the end, I found the whole scene quite "disturbing" / "upsetting", let's say...

When we arrived at the temple we saw all these people lined up with their plates eating, it seemed strange to us at the time...

Before we go to bed, I chat with one of the young volunteers while Jitima is deep in conversation with a monk, the latter says he is interested in traditional dancing, I wish him success in whatever he undertakes, as long as it is as honest as helping to distribute meals here.

For the next day, we confirmed with the guy from this morning that we wanted a driver to take us to Rajgir and Nalanda, to visit some ruins.

One of the young volunteers showing me some dance steps.