ABSTRACT
Located in the Gaya district in south Bihar region is Bodh Gaya, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment. Being one of the earliest (or probably the earliest Buddhist sacred site), Bodh Gaya became an important model that was reproduced in the expansion of Buddhist traditions across South Asia (Asher, this volume). In fact, the earliest archaeological structure found at the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, the Bodhi-seat (referred to later as Vajrāsana), dates from the time of the famous Mauryan king Aśoka in the third century bce. This initial process of monumentalization led to the construction of numerous sacred features in and around the Bodhi Tree that marked various events in the life of the Buddha. These events are also recounted in the biographical accounts of Pāli and Sanskrit literature. Through a critical examination of the archaeological materials from Bodh Gaya and some biographical accounts, this chapter maps the emergence of Bodh Gaya as a sacred site.
