PATNA, July 8, 2013: In the first-ever terror attack on Bihar since Independence, terrorists have struck at the pride of Bihar - the Mahabodhi temple. Associated with peace and tranquillity the world over, it was here that Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the young, handsome wandering mendicant, attained nirvana or enlightenment after fasting under the now famous peepal tree for 49 days at the young age of 35. 

Leaving Kapilavastu, the palace home of his father Suddhodana in the Nepal Terai, at 29, Siddhartha, wandering in search of answers to the world's truths, reached Bodh Gaya via Rajagriha. Sitting under the peepal tree, now famously known as the Bodhi tree, in the sylvan surrounding of the Niranjana river nearby, he practised meditation, following the Middle Path as the only means of attaining jnana. 

Stories abound of how he ultimately accepted 'kheer' from Sujata on the 50th day. It was then that he became the Buddha, the awakened one. Spending seven weeks at seven different spots in the vicinity, Buddha meditated and recounted his experiences with his first disciples Sariputta, Maudgalyayana, Mahakasyapa, Ananda and Anuruddha. 

After seven weeks, he travelled to Sarnath, where he gave his first sermon, emphasizing the Middle Path and the Four Noble Truths. On Buddha Poornima each year, his birth, nirvana, and mahaparinirvana are celebrated on a massive scale and thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China, and other countries assemble here. 

Over time, the place became known as Bodh Gaya. It is one of the most important sites associated with the Buddha, the others being Sarnath, Rajagriha, Pataliputra and Vaishali (where he delivered his sermons), which was enlisted as the only Unesco World Heritage site from Bihar in 2002. 

Bodh Gaya's history is documented by inscriptions and pilgrimage accounts, foremost among which are accounts of Chinese pilgrims Fahien in the 5th century and Hiuen Tsang in the 7th century. The area was at the heart of a Buddhist civilization for centuries, until it was overrun by Turkic armies in the 13th century. The name of the place, Bodh Gaya, did not come into use until the 18th century. Historically, it was known as Uruvela, Sambodhi, Vajrasana or Mahabodhi. The main monastery of Bodh Gaya used to be called the Bodhimanda-Vihara. 

Emperor Asoka visited Bodh Gaya 250 years after Buddha's mahaparinirvana. He is considered by many to be the founder of the original Mahabodhi temple consisting of an elongated spire crowned by a miniature stupa and a chhatravali on a platform. A double flight of steps led up to the platform and the upper sanctum. 

Asoka also sent his daughter, Sanghamitra, to Ceylon with a sapling of the original Bodhi tree in a bid to spread Buddhism. The temple was renovated in the first century during the Kushan era when Kanishka held the fourth Buddhist council. With the decline of Buddhism in India, the temple was not only abandoned, it was also forgotten. It was Sir Alexander Cunningham who restored the temple in the 19th century. 

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 8, 2013.