Monuments and Temples of Orthodox Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka

Free Preview From:‘The Life of the Buddha’: [King] Suddhodana married Mahā Māyā and her younger sister Gotami, the daughters of the Sākyan Chief Suppabuddha. One day Queen Mahā Māyā had a dream: four celestial kings carried her along with her bed and laid it under a Sāla tree; there, while she was lying down, a great white elephant, carrying a white lotus in its trunk, perambulated thrice around the bed and then entered her womb from the southern direction. The following morning, Queen Māyā informed the King of her dream. He in turn invited his Brahmin advisors to the palace, related the dream and enquired as to its meaning and significance. The Brahmins, on being consulted thus, told him that the Queen had conceived a son, who, if remaining a householder (lay person) would become a Universal Monarch, but should he abandon household life, would become an Enlightened One (A Buddha). From: Buddhist Stūpas In the case of the Buddha, the construction of stūpas developed from being modest mounds to monuments of great architectural beauty. These edifices, magnificent in engineering skill and splendour, became the exclusive hallmark of Buddhism. On the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Knowledge): The present tree is the successor of the Pipal tree (Pāli Pipphali, Asvattha) or Ficus religiosa under which Gautama attained Enlightenment or Abhisambodhi. The original tree was partially destroyed several times, first by Tishyarakshita, the Queen of Asoka, because she was jealous of the extreme attention given to the tree by her husband. It was next destroyed by the King Sasanka of Gauda during the 7th century A.D. On each occasion the tree was rejuvenated and brought back to growing condition, when it appears to have flourished. However, the tree later gradually decayed and fell down in 1876, and the present tree developed from the underground living roots. The polished sandstone slab or throne (vajrāsana) under the Bodhi tree dates back to the 1st century B.C. On the Emperor Asoka: Now understanding the incomparable doctrine of peacefulness and non-violence of the Buddha, he became the staunchest supporter of Buddhism, and furthermore encouraged his son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamittā to enter the Order of monks/nuns. Then having become the first monarch to unify India, Asoka spent the rest of his life constructing temples and stūpas throughout its length and breadth. He opened seven of the eight stūpas built by the previous kings of Buddha’s time enshrining Buddha’s relics, and systematically enshrined them in all the stūpas which he built. He also sent some of these relics to countries far and wide, such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and China, and sent monks to these countries to spread the Dhamma. Perhaps his most important mission was to send to Sri Lanka his son, the Arahant Mahinda to introduce the Buddha’s word to his friend King Devānampiyatissa, and his daughter, the Nun Sanghamittā with a sapling of the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya. These events firmly established Buddhism in Sri Lanka, which in turn played an important role in establishing Buddhism in many countries in South-East Asia. Mirisaweti Stūpa (161-137 B.C.) This stūpa was built by King Dutugemunu (Dutthagāmini). The ancient chronicles state that the King, who always offered any food which was special to him to the monks before partaking of any of it himself, was one day enjoying a chilli pickle, and completely forgot to send a portion to the monks. In utter remorse he built the stūpa to alleviate any demerit he may have acquired by this oversight. Further, it is said that he went to bathe at the Tissawewa (Tissa Lake), leaving his sceptre with Buddha's relics within it. When he returned to pick it up he could not move it. On the spot where the sceptre was lying, the King built the stūpa and named it Mirisaweti. Ruwanweliseya (161–137 B.C.) This gigantic stūpa, built by King Dutugemunu is considered to be an architectural marvel. Known also as Swarnamāli Chaitya, Mahā Thūpa and Rathnamāli Dāgoba, it is one of the tallest religious monuments in the world, with a height of 300 feet (92 metres) and a circumference of 950 feet (292 metres). King Dutugemunu commenced the construction of the stūpa on the full-moon day of Wesak (Vaisākha) in the month April-May. Wesak day is the most sacred day for Buddhists, being the day when the Buddha was born, attained Enlightenment and passed away (Parinibbāna). Every stage of the elaborate construction was carried out with great pomp and glory, and no expense was spared. Inscriptions concerning the construction are given in great detail, from the type of material, how it was obtained to the manner in which the various ceremonies at each stage were carried out. On the day of the enshrinment of the Buddha’s relics, which were brought over from Rāmagāma, where they had been enshrined, the Arahant Sonuttara offered them to the officiating monks (Sangha). Receiving the relics from the monks, King Dutugemunu carried the golden casket around the relic chamber before placing it in the reclining Buddha statue. Once all the ceremonies and the worshipping were completed the chamber was closed. However, the construction was still not quite complete. The King continued to visit the stūpa to oversee the final work. The old King, being now feeble and realising he was near death, asked his ministers to take him to see the stūpa. The ministers hurriedly covered the unfinished section with a temporary covering so that the King could appreciate its final appearance. Reclining and gazing at the Great Stūpa, he passed away, in the midst of Arahants chanting ‘pirith’ suttas (sacred verses of blessings).