Mahabodhi TempleBuddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, IndiaThe Mahabodhi Temple (literally: "Great Awakening Temple") or the Mahābodhi Mahāvihāra, is a restored Buddhisttemple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, marking the location where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, according to the Buddhist faith.
Ficus religiosaFicus religiosa or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to the fig and mulberry family Moraceae. It is also known as the bodhi tree, bo tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipala tree or ashvattha tree (in Bangladesh, India and Nepal). The sacred fig is considered to have religious significance in four major religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.
The BuddhaFounder of BuddhismSiddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (lit. 'the awakened one'), was a wandering religious teacher who lived in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, but renounced his home life to live as a wandering ascetic.Enlightenment in BuddhismThe English term enlightenment is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably bodhi and vimutti. The abstract noun bodhi (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: bodhi) means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellect, of a Buddha. The verbal root budh- means "to awaken", and its literal meaning is closer to awakening. Although the term buddhi is also used in other Indian philosophies and traditions, its most common usage is in the context of Buddhism.
TishyarakshaTishyarakshita (Pali: Tissarakkhā, Sanskrit: Tiṣyarakṣitā) was the last queen consort of Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BCE. She is primarily known from Buddhist chronicles for her treacherous role in the Mauryan court, including her alleged involvement in the blinding of Kunala, Ashoka's heir, and the destruction of the original Bodhi Tree.
BuddhahoodIn Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the supreme goal of Buddhism, variously described as awakening or enlightenment (bodhi), Nirvāṇa ("blowing out"), and liberation (vimokṣa). A Buddha is also someone who fully understands the Dhārma, the true nature of all things or phenomena (dhārmata), the ultimate truth.
ShashankaShashanka (IAST: Śaśāṅka) was king of the Gauda Kingdom, a polity of the later Gupta dynasty and later its successor state. Historians place his rule between 600 and 636, whereas other sources place his reign between 590 and 625. making his lasted approximately from 593 to 636. He is the contemporary of Harsha and of Bhaskaravarman of Kamarupa. His capital was at Karnasuvarna in present day India. He is credited with creating the Bengali calendar.
AshokaMauryan emperor from 269 to 232 BCEAshoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; Sanskrit:, IAST: Aśoka; c. 304 – 232 BCE), most commonly known as Ashoka the Great, was Emperor of Magadha from c. 268 BCE until his death, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynasty. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, stretching from present-day Afghanistan in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east, with its capital at Pataliputra.
Pushyamitra ShungaPushyamitra Shunga (IAST: Puṣyamitra Śuṅga; reigned c. 185 – c. 149 BCE), also known as Pushpamitra Shunga (IAST: Puṣpamitra Śuṅga) was the founder and the first ruler of the Shunga Empire which he established to succeed the Maurya Empire. Pushyamitra's association with the Brahmanical tradition is displayed by his performance of the Vedic Ashvamedha sacrifice as recorded in the Dhanadeva Ayodhya inscription.
Sinhala languageSinhala ( ; Sinhala: සිංහල, siṁhala, ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( ), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. It is also the first language of about 2 million other Sri Lankans, as of 2001. It is written in the Sinhalese script.
World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity".
TreePerennial woody plant with elongated trunkCommon ash (Fraxinus excelsior), a deciduous broad-leaved (angiosperm) treeEuropean larch (Larix decidua), a coniferous tree which is also deciduousIn botany, a tree is a perennialplant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.