Knowledge Nugget: What are the must know sites associated with the life of Buddha for UPSC Exam?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple in Anuradhapura. (Photo: X/ @narendramodi)

Key Takeaways :

1. Buddhism emerged in India around the fifth-sixth centuries BC during a period that scholars call “the second urbanisation of India”, a time of great socio-cultural change in the Gangetic plains. It emerged, along with other heterodox traditions such as Jainism, as a response to Vedic Hinduism’s highly rigid and ritualistic ways.

2. India is home to numerous Buddhist sites that attract devotees and tourists from around the world. These sacred sites not only offer a glimpse into the ancient traditions and teachings of Buddhism but also provide serene environments for meditation and reflection. Here are the some of the Buddhist sites related to the life of lord Buddha, each with its unique history and significance:

📍Lumbini (Nepal)

1. Lumbini is located across the border from Gorakhpur in the Rupandehi district of Nepal’s Lumbini province. The Lord Buddha was said to be born in 623 BC in Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal.

2. Ashoka, the king of ancient India, had erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage center. Here, the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.

3. Lumbini was forgotten for many centuries. It was rediscovered in 1896, and excavations were conducted at the site. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.

📍Mahabodhi Temple (Bodh Gaya, Bihar)

1. The Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, is one of the most sacred sites in Buddhism. It marks the location where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment (Nirvana) to become the Buddha (literally, “the Enlightened One”).

2. A simple shrine was constructed to mark the site by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE, of which only the Vajrasana (Diamond Throne), a stone slab under the Bodhi tree next to the temple, remains. Additional structures were built during the Shunga period (2nd to 1st century BCE).

Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, Bihar (iStock)

3. Fifth-century Chinese traveller Faxian (also known as Fa Hien) wrote that there were three Buddhist monasteries around the temple in Gaya. But the current pyramidal structure can be dated to the reign of the Guptas in the 6th century CE.

4. The temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features a large, intricately carved tower and a descendant of the original Bodhi tree. Pilgrims from around the world visit this revered site to meditate and pay homage to Buddha.

📍Sarnath (near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)

1. Sarnath is where Buddha delivered his first sermon (Dhammachakra Pravartan) after attaining enlightenment. The Dhamek Stupa, built by Emperor Ashoka, stands as a prominent structure on this historical site.

2. Sarnath is also home to several monasteries, temples, and the Sarnath Archaeological Museum, which houses important relics and artefacts from the Buddhist era.

📍Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh)

1. Kushinagar is the place where Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana (ultimate salvation). The Mahaparinirvana Temple, which houses a reclining statue of Buddha, and the Ramabhar Stupa, believed to be the cremation site of Buddha, are key attractions here.

2. Today’s Kushinagar is identified with Kushinara, capital of the ancient Malla republic, which was one of the 16 mahajanapadas of the 6th-4th centuries BC. The area went on to be part of the kingdoms of the Mauryas, Shungas, Kushanas, Guptas, Harshavardhana, and the Palas. Kushinara is believed to have been inhabited until at least the 12th century.

Parinirvana Stupa and temple, Kushinagar, India . (Image source: iStock)

3. The first excavations in Kushinagar were carried out by Alexander Cunningham and ACL Carlleyle, who unearthed the main stupa and the 6-metre-long statue of the Reclining Buddha in 1876. Kushinagar is among the very few places in India where The Buddha is depicted in reclining form.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree & Buddhist Circuit 

1. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree is considered the oldest living cultivated plant in the world, and is believed to have grown from a branch that an Indian princess carried to Sri Lanka.

The Maha Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, Bihar. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

2. Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree is believed to have grown from a branch of the tree in Bodhgaya (in present-day Bihar) under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment. The branch was carried to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitta (or Sanghamitra), the Mauryan king Ashoka’s daughter and Buddhist nun. Her arrival in Sri Lanka with the tree is still celebrated as Uduvapa Poya, an annual festival observed on a full moon night in December.

3. The tree, along with the other Buddhist shrines in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, is a major pilgrimage centre for Buddhists. Anuradhapura is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Buddhist Circuit 

1. In 2016, the Ministry of Tourism announced the Buddhist Circuit as the country’s first transnational tourism circuit, covering sites in Nepal and Sri Lanka alongside those in India. The Buddhist Circuit seeks to help tourists and pilgrims experience first-hand the teachings of Lord Buddha and trace the footsteps of Buddha.

2. The main sites covered under the circuit span the life of Buddha from his birth to his Parinirvana and comprise Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir, Kushinagar, Sarnath and Shravasti, along with Kapilavastu and Lumbini.

Post Read Question

(1) With reference to the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree, consider the following statements:

1.  The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree is considered the oldest living cultivated plant in the world.

2. It is associated with the Mauryan king Ashoka’s daughter and Buddhist nun.

Which of the above given statements is/are true?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

(2) Which are the historical/cultural sites often called as a part of ‘The Diamond Triangle’:

(a) Ratnagiri, Udaygiri, and Lalitgiri

(b) Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda

(c) Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Elphanta Caves

(d) Brihadeeswarar Temple, Meenakshi Temple, Chidambaram temple

(Sources: Top 10 must-visit Buddhist monasteries and temples in India, Explained: The decades old dispute over who controls Mahabodhi temple in Gaya, UPSC Essentials: Historical Tidbits- Lumbini- the Buddhist historical site)

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