Satellite images taken at the Mahabodhi Temple have revealed the presence of previously unknown structures beneath the sacred Bodh Gaya temple complex in India's northeastern state of Bihar. According to officials cited by local media, a geospatial analysis using satellite imagery and ground surveys revealed evidence of “immense architectural wealth” beneath the complex and its surroundings. (Press Trust of India)
The studies were carried out by the Bihar Heritage Development Society, a heritage conservation arm of the state government's department of arts, culture and youth, in collaboration with Cardiff University in Wales, in the United Kingdom, on a project entitled “Archaeology in the footsteps of the Chinese traveler Xuanzang”.
The Mahabodhi Temple, one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Buddhist practitioners, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, marking the place where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, attained enlightenment. The original temple was commissioned by the Maurya emperor Ashoka in the third century BC. The current Bodh Gaya temple has been dated to the fifth or sixth century CE, located next to the descendant of the tree Original bodhi under which Shakyamuni Buddha sat, discovering the path to liberation from suffering.
“The study revealed the presence of archaeological treasures beneath the ground of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and its surrounding areas,” said Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, deputy chief secretary of the Department of Arts, Culture and Development. youth. “It is an immense architectural wealth which requires additional excavations. » (Press Trust of India)
The Mahabodhi temple, dominated by a majestic tower with straight walls Shikhara (Skt. mountain peak), which rises to over 55 meters, is one of the oldest surviving brick Buddhist temples in India. The complex is the only living Buddhist monument in India listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Age-old traditions of offerings, chanting and meditation continue to be practiced here, with vibrant rituals, prayers and festivals taking place daily.
“Bihar Heritage Development Society, in association with Cardiff University, has been working on a multidisciplinary project dedicated to the archaeological traces of the journey of the 7th century Chinese translator monk, Xuanzang, to Bihar,” said Bamhrah. “Satellite images from recent years show an alignment of structures to the north of the temple, buried underground. » (Press Trust of India)
Xuanzang (602-664) is widely recognized as one of the most illustrious figures in Buddhist history. He is known for translating a multitude of Buddhist writings from Sanskrit to Chinese and for undertaking a 17-year overland pilgrimage from China to India (which also took him to what is now Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan), where he lived for more than 13 years. Xuanzang spent five years in India at the ancient monastic university of Nalanda, a major center of Buddhist learning, where he acquired knowledge of Sanskrit, Buddhist philosophy, and Indian thought. Although the majority of Xuanzang's stay in India was spent in Nalanda, he traveled extensively, visiting every known sacred site related to the life of the Buddha.
“Our new study revealed several discoveries, including, to the north of the (Mahabodhi) temple, a square monastic complex surrounded by a wall, with a moat all around and an extensive settlement to the north,” said the executive director of the Bihar Heritage Development Society, Bijoy Kumar Choudhary. (Press Trust of India)
Bamhrah, from the Department of Arts, Culture and Youth, stressed that the new findings were “very significant”. (Press Trust of India)
“Let us remember that the Mahabodhi temple lies to the west of the river (Niranjana), and the Sujata stupa and several other archaeological remains lie to the east of the river. The monuments and other archaeological remains to the east of the river are…considered independent of the Mahabodhi Temple,” she explained.
“But the latest findings show that the Sujata temple and stupa, along with other archaeological remains, once stood on the same bank of the river. It is therefore very likely that the monuments and other archaeological remains, today east of the river, were (originally) part of the Mahabodhi complex. » (Press Trust of India)
MB Rajni, a faculty member of the Bengaluru-based National Institute of Advanced Study, one of the members of the project, studied satellite images of the temple complex and its surroundings in an attempt to correlate the findings with the description left by Xuanzang.
“After analyzing the satellite images, we identified two concentric squares… an outer square encompassing 4,9 acres (two hectares) and an inner square encompassing 2,5 acres (one hectare),” noted Rajni. “Between the outer and inner squares, there is a space of approximately 15 meters to the north and south, and 20 meters to the east and west. The southern boundary of the outer square is approximately 91 meters from the wall of the Mahabodhi temple complex.
“Although traces of the monastery are no longer visible on the ground, satellite images have revealed that the squares overlap significantly with the Samanvay Ashram,” she continued. “The southern boundary of the ashram, marked by a surrounding wall on a raised ridge, aligns with the southern boundary of the outer square, thus suggesting the buried remains of an ancient wall,” (Press Trust of India )
The Bihar Heritage Development Society plans to launch "research to delineate the boundaries of the Mahabodhi complex in the light of these findings", Bamhrah added. “A new ground-penetrating radar survey, followed by excavations, will be undertaken to unravel the buried archaeological features revealed by satellite images. » (Press Trust of India)
See more
Satellite images reveal hidden monastery at sacred Buddhist site (Space.com)
Satellite images suggest architectural wealth beneath Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya: officials (Press Trust of India)
Mahabodhi Temple Complex (UNESCO)
Bihar Heritage Development Corporation
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