Mahabodhi Entrance with Monks

These images are from the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, India. The Mahabodhi temple (the Temple of Great Awakening) marks the spot where, according to legend, the historical Buddha, after countless lifetimes of diligent practice, finally cut off the last vestiges of delusion, and attained Nirvana. I first visited Bodhgaya in 2003, and then again in 2011. Most of these images were taken during the second trip. The structure in this photo is the main stupa in the Mahabodhi complex.

Mahabodhi Entrance Area

The pink buildings line the approach to the main stupa. Notice the many smaller "votive" stupas in the complex.

Corner of Mahabodhi Stupa

Around the outside of the main stupa, at a bit higher than human height, are various Buddha icons.

Tibetan Practitioners at Mahabodhi

This man is doing mandala offerings. No, the man in the background is not doing push-ups, but rather prostrations, which in the Tibetan tradition entail going all the way down, until you are prostrate on the ground (prostrations in the Zen tradition are a bit different). Both mandala offerings and prostrations are part of the "preliminary practices" of Tibetan Buddhism, and many Tibetan Buddhists can be seen at the Mahabodhi temple doing these practices.

Prostrations at Mahabodhi

More people doing prostrations. Notice the special wooden planks and the bottles of water. These neophytes must do 100,000 prostrations as part of the "preliminary practices." If you do 2000 per day, they can be completed in less than two months. But 2000 per day is quite a lot.

Meditation Hut at Mahabodhi

On the approach to the main stupa, after descending the steps into the complex, there are a few small places for meditation.

Mahabodhi Stupa

This is the main stupa from a distance.

Mahabodhi Stupa Silouette

Mahabodhi Stupa at Night

This photograph has not been enhanced. There are a couple spotlights trained on the main stupa after dark. When I steadied my camera and took a long exposure, this is the image I ended up with.

Chanting Bhikkhu

This is another common site at the Mahabodhi temple--a monk chanting sutras quietly to himself.

Bodhi Pallanka

Behind the stone partition is the Bodhi Pallanka, the heart of the entire Mahabodhi complex. It is on this spot, beneath the bodhi tree, that the Buddha sat through the night and became fully awake. The spot is marked by the "Throne of Awakening" (Bodhi Pallanka).

Cloister Walk

This "Cloister Walk" alongside the main stupa marks the spot where the newly Awakened One is supposed to have taken his first steps after arising from his place of sitting. The flower offerings are a typical form of devotion in all Buddhist traditions.

Bhikkhus at Avalokiteshvara

This icon, to the right of the entrance to the main stupa, is Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion. Sometimes portrayed as masculine (in India and Tibet) and sometimes as feminine (in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam), he/she is very popular, especially with the laity. Notice the single layperson in white, on the right.