by

Mukesh Khosla

" Round the year the temple continues to attract hordes of foreign tourists from Buddhist nations. Keeping the sentiments of the growing number of tourists we are putting pressure on UNESCO to declare it a world heritage site," says Behl.

But UNESCO has asked the Indian government for some clarifications before it gives its nod. It has sought information about the ownership and management of the temple, a detailed map of the shrine and its adjoining areas, status of the buffer zone to preserve the monument and nearby surroundings, and future development plans. It has asked the state government to demolish all buildings more than 33 feet high within a kilometre radius of the temple.

Some of the important accounts of the temple are written by Chinese pilgrim-travellers Fa-Hein who visited Bodhgaya in AD 409 and Huien-Tsang who came in AD 637. This was the cradle of Buddhism and the centre of the world according to the writings of Huien-Tsang.

From very early times, Indian kings and those of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanamar [formerly Burma] and other countries built temples and viharas here as this was the most significant site for Buddhists who have been an international community.

Strangely enough, after the 12th century the temple suddenly disappeared and was not heard of for many centuries. According to historians, the Buddhists fearing that the Muslim rulers of India would plunder and destroy the temple buried it under mounds of mud and sand.

The revival of interest in Bodhgaya began in the nineteenth century when attention of the British was attracted to the site where Buddhists gathered to pray. British administrator, Alexander Cunningham first visited the site in 1861, and recommended that excavations be conducted. These were undertaken by Major Mead in 1863, and much to the amazement of the world the well preserved, 50-metre tall temple emerged from the belly of the earth mostly intact after almost seven centuries.

The temple stands on the site of the Buddha's enlightenment and is the sole survivor of monumental brick traditions in eastern India. It is surrounded by a stone railing and innumerable votive stupas and several shrines.

Explains Behl about the disappearance of the site, " As in the case of the Pyramids, this must have been a major and a grand endeavour. One of those moments in history which constitute the drama of human civilisation. When thousands of devotees would have been pressed into service to pile millions of cubic feet of earth on to this site to hide it from the eyes of the Islamic invaders."

Cunningham who was knighted for his extraordinary excavation wrote in his diary, " So much earth was piled on it that, even today, we have to walk down about 20 feet to come to the level of the temple floor. Around it everywhere is the evidence of numerous ancient brick structures under moulds of earth."

Fortunately for the conservationists this is one monument which has been spared the anarchy in present-day Rabri Devi governed Bihar. It is protected and enclosed by an outer boundary wall of a height varying between 10 and 15 feet.

Beyond it, the Bodhgaya Temple Advisory Board has declared an area of one kilometre radius from the boundary wall of the temple to be a protected buffer zone wherein no encroachments or illegal structures will be allowed. Within this area, no building is allowed to exceed a height of 33 feet.

The Indian Treasure Troves Act of 1878 also protects any archaeological finds unearthed during diggings in the area around the Mahabodhi Temple and in the buffer zone.The Advisory Board of the Mahabodhi Temple is an international body comprising representatives [including Ambassadors and High Commissioners] and distinguished persons from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal and within India [Sikkim].

An important need is to control the practice of burning oil lamps along the walls and railings of the Temple, which is likely to cause damage to the monument. Over the years the burning of wax candles as well has blackened some sculptural pieces. This has taken the shape of a ritual in the Temple Complex, especially on festive occasions and needs to be controlled.

"The entire Buddhist community representing different countries and sects of Buddhism needs to be motivated so that this practice may be contained and some alternative found without offending the sentiments of the devotees," says Behl.

Another real problem is the extreme climatic condition of Bodhgaya. During summer months this area records the highest temperatures in Bihar making it very difficult for tourists to enjoy the experience of walking around the temple and benefiting from the peaceful atmosphere of the site.

" We are already in the process of planting an adequate number of trees in the area around the temple site, which would surely affect the environment positively," says Behl.

However, he feels all these and other tourist-related activities would receive a big fillip once UNESCO concurs it with a World Heritage status. Most leading Buddhist organisations feel that would go a long way in making the Mahabodhi Temple one of the most tourist-friendly pilgrimages of the world.

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