Christmas in Bodh Gaya

 On the 24th of December, we arrived in Bodh Gaya, the most important of the main Buddhist pilgrimage sites. It was here, sitting under a large fig tree (the Bodhi tree), that the Buddha attained enlightenment (circa 500 BCE). At the center of this pilgrim destination is the Mahabodhi Temple within large spacious grounds. As a UNESCO world heritage site, as well as an important religious location, there is very high security. There were several xray machine and metal detector check points, and NO mobile phones were allowed inside the gate which means I have no photos from within the complex to share. The lines were long, as large numbers of red robed monks have been arriving each day in advance of the Dalai Lama who will be in Bodh Gaya for one month beginning December 25th. We’ve happened upon the ultimate Buddhist Jamboree!

On Christmas morning we entered the temple grounds, which unfortunately I could not photograph. Large open areas were festooned with colorful five colored flags (blue:sky, white:air, yellow:earth, green:water, red:fire). All monuments and stone sculptures were draped in garlands of orange marigolds, and on the ground any available space was occupied by a prayer mat or camping monk. The area under the Bodhi Tree was reserved for the Rimpoche and monks leading chants with cymbals, bells and horns. We sat, listened to the chants, and marveled at the scene. Merry Christmas from Bodh Gaya!

The Mahabodhi Temple from the Park

When we first arrived here on Christmas eve, we walked the area surrounding the Mahabodhi temple grounds where each major buddhist country is represented by a national temple. In addition to investigating several of these individual temples we visited the famed 80’ tall great buddha statue (the photo at the top of the post). But, the big surprise was in the nearby butterfly park where we met several school groups on a class outing. They requested that we pose with them for photographs. How could we refuse, especially when one group was all dressed in Santa Claus suits singing jingle bells!