A report on Bodh Gaya, Maurya Empire, Gautama Buddha and Sanchi

Territories of the Maurya Empire conceptualized as core areas or linear networks separated by large autonomous regions in the works of scholars such as: historians Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund; Burton Stein; David Ludden; and Romila Thapar; anthropologists Monica L. Smith and Stanley Tambiah; archaeologist Robin Coningham; and historical demographer Tim Dyson.

Statue of Gautama Buddha, preaching his first sermon at Sarnath; B(b) 181, Archaeological Museum Sarnath, Gupta period, ca. 475 CE.

The Bodhi Tree under which Gautama Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment

Pataliputra, capital of the Mauryas. Ruins of pillared hall at Kumrahar site.

Seated Buddha from Tapa Shotor monastery in Hadda, Afghanistan, 2nd century CE

Plan of the monuments of the hill of Sanchi, numbered 1 to 50.

Ancient kingdoms and cities of India during the time of the Buddha (c. 500 BCE)

Mahabodhi temple, built under the Gupta Empire, 6th century CE.

The Pataliputra capital, discovered at the Bulandi Bagh site of Pataliputra, 4th–3rd c. BCE.

Inscription "The illumination of the Blessed Sakamuni" (Brahmi script: 𑀪𑀕𑀯𑀢𑁄 𑀲𑀓𑀫𑀼𑀦𑀺𑀦𑁄 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑁄, Bhagavato Sakamunino Bodho) on a relief showing the "empty" Illumination Throne of the Buddha in the early Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. Bharhut, c. 100 BCE.

The capital of the Sanchi pillar of Ashoka, as discovered (left), and simulation of original appearance (right). It is very similar to the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, except for the abacus, here adorned with flame palmettes and facing geese, 250 BCE. Sanchi Archaeological Museum.

A silver coin of 1 karshapana of the Maurya empire, period of Bindusara Maurya about 297–272 BC, workshop of Pataliputra. Obv: Symbols with a sun. Rev: Symbol. Dimensions: 14 × 11 mm. Weight: 3.4 g.

One of the earliest anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha, here surrounded by Brahma (left) and Śakra (right). Bimaran Casket, mid-1st century CE, British Museum.

by later illustrations among the Sanchi reliefs

Illustration of the temple built by Asoka at Bodh-Gaya around the Bodhi tree. Sculpture of the Satavahana period at Sanchi, 1st century CE.

Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath. c. 250 BCE.

Māyā miraculously giving birth to Siddhārtha. Sanskrit, palm-leaf manuscript. Nālandā, Bihar, India. Pāla period

The Great Stupa under the Sungas. The Sungas nearly doubled the diameter of the initial stupa, encasing it in stone, and built a balustrade and a railing around it.

The legendary Jataka collections depict the Buddha-to-be in a previous life prostrating before the past Buddha Dipankara, making a resolve to be a Buddha, and receiving a prediction of future Buddhahood.

Foreigner on a horse, circa 115 BCE, Stupa No2.

Fragment of the 6th Pillar Edict of Ashoka (238 BCE), in Brahmi, sandstone, British Museum.

Map showing Lumbini and other major Buddhist sites in India. Lumbini (present-day Nepal), is the birthplace of the Buddha, and is a holy place also for many non-Buddhists.

Sunga period railings were initially blank (left: Great Stupa), and only started to be decorated circa 115 BCE with Stupa No.2 (right).

The Lumbini pillar contains an inscription stating that this is the Buddha's birthplace

Sunga pillar No25 with own capital on the side.

The "Great Departure" of Siddhartha Gautama, surrounded by a halo, he is accompanied by numerous guards and devata who have come to pay homage; Gandhara, Kushan period

Bhadrabahu Cave, Shravanabelagola where Chandragupta is said to have died

Prince Siddhartha shaves his hair and becomes a sramana. Borobudur, 8th century

The stupa, which contained the relics of Buddha, at the center of the Sanchi complex was originally built by the Maurya Empire, but the balustrade around it is Sunga, and the decorative gateways are from the later Satavahana period.

The gilded "Emaciated Buddha statue" in Wat Suthat in Bangkok representing the stage of his asceticism

The Dharmarajika stupa in Taxila, modern Pakistan, is also thought to have been established by Emperor Asoka.

The Mahabodhi Tree at the Sri Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya

Mauryan architecture in the Barabar Caves. Lomas Rishi Cave. 3rd century BCE.

The Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha at Bodh Gaya, as recreated by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.

The Great Stupa at the time of the Satavahanas.

An early stupa, 6 meters in diameter, with fallen umbrella on side. Chakpat, near Chakdara. Probably Maurya, 3rd century BCE.

Miracle of the Buddha walking on the River Nairañjanā. The Buddha is not visible (aniconism), only represented by a path on the water, and his empty throne bottom right. Sanchi.

Temptation of the Buddha, with the Buddha on the left (symbolized by his throne only) surrounded by rejoicing devotees, Mara and his daughters (center), and the demons of Mara fleeing (right).

The two Yakshas, possibly 3rd century BCE, found in Pataliputra. The two Brahmi inscriptions starting with Gupta ashoka y.svgGupta ashoka khe.jpg... (Yakhe... for "Yaksha...") are paleographically of a later date, circa 2nd century CE Kushan.

Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath, India, site of the first teaching of the Buddha in which he taught the Four Noble Truths to his first five disciples

War over the Buddha's Relics, kept by the city of Kushinagar, South Gate, Stupa no.1, Sanchi.

Mauryan ringstone, with standing goddess. Northwest Pakistan. 3rd Century BCE

The chief disciples of the Buddha, Mogallana (chief in psychic power) and Sariputta (chief in wisdom).

King Ashoka visits Ramagrama, to take relics of the Buddha from the Nagas, but he failed, the Nagas being too powerful. Southern gateway, Stupa 1, Southern Gateway, Sanchi.

A map showing the north western border of Maurya Empire, including its various neighboring states.

The remains of a section of Jetavana Monastery, just outside of ancient Savatthi, in Uttar Pradesh.

Ashoka in grief, supported by his two queens, in a relief at Sanchi. Stupa 1, Southern gateway. The identification with Ashoka is confirm by a similar relief from Kanaganahalli inscribed "Raya Asoko".

Figure of a foreigner, found in Sarnath, 3rd century BCE. This is a probable member of the West Asian Pahlava or Saka elite in the Gangetic plains during the Mauryan period.

Mahāprajāpatī, the first bhikkuni and Buddha's stepmother, ordains

Bodhi tree temple depicted in Sanchi, Stupa 1, Southern gateway.

The Kandahar Edict of Ashoka, a bilingual edict (Greek and Aramaic) by king Ashoka, from Kandahar. Kabul Museum. (See image description page for translation.)

This East Javanese relief depicts the Buddha in his final days, and Ānanda, his chief attendant.

Temple for the Bodhi Tree (Eastern Gateway).

Mahaparinirvana, Gandhara, 3rd or 4th century CE, gray schist

foreigners illustrated at Sanchi worshiping the Great Stupa

Silver punch mark coin of the Maurya empire, with symbols of wheel and elephant. 3rd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Mahaparinibbana scene, from the Ajanta caves

Mauryan coin with arched hill symbol on reverse.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Buddha's cremation stupa, Kushinagar (Kushinara).

Mauryan Empire coin. Circa late 4th-2nd century BCE.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

Piprahwa vase with relics of the Buddha. The inscription reads: ...salilanidhane Budhasa Bhagavate... (Brahmi script: ...𑀲𑀮𑀺𑀮𑀦𑀺𑀥𑀸𑀦𑁂 𑀩𑀼𑀥𑀲 𑀪𑀕𑀯𑀢𑁂...) "Relics of the Buddha Lord".

Mauryan Empire, Emperor Salisuka or later. Circa 207-194 BCE.<ref>CNG Coins {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827130159/https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=304898 |date=27 August 2017 }}</ref>

The Bodhisattva meets with Alara Kalama, Borobudur relief.

Remains of the Ashokan Pillar in polished stone (right of the Southern Gateway).

Gandharan Buddhist birchbark scroll fragments

Miracle of the Buddha walking on the river Nairanjana

Remains of the shaft of the pillar of Ashoka, under a shed near the Southern Gateway.

Buddha meets a Brahmin, at the Indian Museum, Kolkata

Procession of king Suddhodana from Kapilavastu

Pillar and its inscription (the "Schism Edict") upon discovery.

Schist Buddha statue with the famed Ye Dharma Hetu dhāraṇī around the head, which was used as a common summary of Dependent Origination. It states: "Of those experiences that arise from a cause, The Tathāgata has said: 'this is their cause, And this is their cessation': This is what the Great Śramaṇa teaches."

"The promenade of the Buddha", or Chankrama, used to depict the Buddha in motion in Buddhist aniconism.

The capital nowadays.<ref>Described in Marshall p.25-28 Ashoka pillar.</ref>

Gandharan sculpture depicting the Buddha in the full lotus seated meditation posture, 2nd-3rd century CE

Bimbisara with his royal cortege issuing from the city of Rajagriha to visit the Buddha

The distribution of the Edicts of Ashoka.<ref>Reference: "India: The Ancient Past" p.113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-35615-6}}</ref>

Buddha Statues from Gal Vihara. The Early Buddhist texts also mention meditation practice while standing and lying down.

Foreigners making a dedication at the Southern Gateway of Stupa No 1

Map of the Buddhist missions during the reign of Ashoka.

The Buddha on a coin of Kushan ruler Kanishka I, c. 130 CE.

Stupas and monasteries at Sanchi in the early centuries of the current era. Reconstruction, 1900

Territories "conquered by the Dharma" according to Major Rock Edict No. 13 of Ashoka (260–218 BCE).{{sfn|Kosmin|2014|p=57}}<ref name=ME368>Thomas Mc Evilly "The shape of ancient thought", Allworth Press, New York, 2002, p.368</ref>

Buddhist monks from Nepal. According to the earliest sources, the Buddha looked like a typical shaved man from northeast India.

Temple 17: a Gupta period tetrastyle prostyle temple of Classical appearance. 5th century CE

Statue of Padmapani (5th c.or 9th c.) Victoria and Albert Museum.

A Royal Couple Visits the Buddha, from railing of the Bharhut Stupa, Shunga dynasty, early 2nd century BC.

Pillar 26: one of the two four-lions stambha capitals at Sanchi, with lions, central flame palmette and Wheel of Law (axis, stubs of the spokes and part of the circumference only), initially located at the Northern Gateway of the Great Stupa. Sanchi Archaeological Museum.

Adoration of the Diamond Throne and the Bodhi Tree, Bharhut.

Pillar 26: lion pillar capital at time of discovery, with Dharmachakra wheel (reconstitution). Northern Gateway.

Descent of the Buddha from the Trayastrimsa Heaven, Sanchi Stupa No. 1.

The Buddha's Miracle at Kapilavastu, Sanchi Stupa 1.

Pillar 35 column stump (right), and bell capital with abacus, positioned upside down.

Bimbisara visiting the Buddha (represented as empty throne) at the Bamboo garden in Rajagriha

Vajrapani statue of pillar 35, 5th c. CE. Sanchi Archaeological Museum.

The great departure with riderless horse, Amaravati, 2nd century CE.

Temple 18 at Sanchi, an apsidal hall with Maurya foundations, rebuilt at the time of Harsha (7th century CE).

The Assault of Mara, Amaravati, 2nd century CE.

Isapur Buddha, one of the earliest physical depictions of the Buddha, c. 15 CE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Quintanilla |first1=Sonya Rhie |title=History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE – 100 CE |date=2007 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004155374 |pages=199–206, 204 for the exact date |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7Cb8IkZVSMC&pg=PA204}}</ref> Art of Mathura

The Great Stupa as breached by Sir Herbert Maddock in 1822. Watercolor by Frederick Charles Maisey, in 1851.

The Buddha attended by Indra at Indrasala Cave, Mathura 50-100 CE.

Ruins of the Southern Gateway, Sanchi in 1875.

Buddha Preaching in Tushita Heaven. Amaravati, Satavahana period, 2d century CE. Indian Museum, Calcutta.

Gandharan Buddha with Vajrapani-Herakles.

Inscribed panel from Sanchi in Brahmi script in the British Museum

The last two letters to the right of this inscription in Brahmi form the word "dǎnam" (donation). This hypothesis permitted the decipherment of the Brahmi script by James Prinsep in 1837.

General view of the Stupas at Sanchi by F.C. Maisey, 1851 (The Great Stupa on top of the hill, and Stupa 2 at the forefront)

Birth of the Buddha, Kushan dynasty, late 2nd to early 3rd century CE.

The Great Stupa (Stupa No.1), started in the 3rd century BCE

The Infant Buddha Taking A Bath, Gandhara 2nd century CE.

Remains of the Ashokan Pillar in polished stone (right of the Southern Gateway), with its Edict.

Sarnath standing Buddha, 5th century CE.

Sanchi Minor Pillar Edict of Ashoka, in-situ (detail of the previous image).

Side view of the capital. Sanchi Archaeological Museum.<ref name="p.25-28 Ashoka pillar"/>

Chinese Stele with Sakyamuni and Bodhisattvas, Wei period, 536 CE.

The Shakyamuni Daibutsu Bronze, c. 609, Nara, Japan.

Amaravati style Buddha of Srivijaya period, Palembang, Indonesia, 7th century.

Shunga vedika (railing) with inscriptions.

Korean Seokguram Cave Buddha, c. 774 CE.

Seated Buddha Vairocana flanked by Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani of Mendut temple, Central Java, Indonesia, early 9th century.

Buddha in the exposed stupa of Borobudur mandala, Central Java, Indonesia, c. 825.

Vairocana Buddha of Srivijaya style, Southern Thailand, 9th century.

Seated Buddha, Japan, Heian period, 9th－10th century.

Cambodian Buddha with Mucalinda Nāga, c. 1100 CE, Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia

Sakyamuni, Lao Tzu, and Confucius, c. from 1368 until 1644.

Shakyamuni Buddha with Avadana Legend Scenes, Tibetan, 19th century

Lakshmi with lotus and two child attendants, probably derived from [[:File:Venus with two cupids 2.jpg|similar images of Venus]]<ref>An Indian Statuette From Pompeii, Mirella Levi D'Ancona, in Artibus Asiae, Vol. 13, No. 3 (1950) p. 171</ref>

Gautama statue, Shanyuan Temple, Liaoning Province, China.

Burmese style Buddha, Shwedagon pagoda, Yangon.

Large Gautama Buddha statue in Buddha Park of Ravangla.

Detail of the foreigners, in Greek dress and playing carnyxes and aolus flute. Northern Gateway of Stupa I (detail).

Foreigners holding grapes and riding winged lions, Sanchi Stupa 1, Eastern Gateway.<ref>"The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity, John Boardman, 1993, p. 112 Note 91</ref>

Foreigners on horses, wearing headbands, caps and boots. Western gate of Stupa 1.

The Buddha represented by the Dharmacakra.

Bottom panel Dvarapala guardian deity or devotee.

Pillar 34 with lion.<ref>Marshall p. 52 Pillar 34</ref>

The winged lion capital of pillar 34 (lost).

A vision of ancient Indian court life, using motifs from Sanchi (wood engraving, 1878).

It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment (bodhi) under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.

- Bodh Gaya

In particular, archaeological finds including sculptures show that the site was in use by Buddhists since the Mauryan period.

- Bodh Gaya

Leading a life of begging, asceticism, and meditation, he attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.

- Gautama Buddha

Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha.

- Sanchi

The monuments at Sanchi today comprise a series of Buddhist monuments starting from the Mauryan Empire period (3rd century BCE), continuing with the Gupta Empire period (5th century CE), and ending around the 12th century CE.

- Sanchi

For example, peacock figures are found on the Ashoka pillar at Nandangarh and several sculptures on the Great Stupa of Sanchi.

- Maurya Empire

The Buddhist texts state that Chandragupta belonged to the "Moriya" clan of the Shakyas, the tribe to which Gautama Buddha belonged.

- Maurya Empire

Representations of this early temple are found at Sanchi, on the toraṇas of Stūpa I, dating from around 25 BCE, and on a relief carving from the stupa railing at Bhārhut, from the early Shunga period (c.

- Bodh Gaya

Another one of his edicts (Minor Rock Edict No. 3) mentions the titles of several Dhamma texts (in Buddhism, "dhamma" is another word for "dharma"), establishing the existence of a written Buddhist tradition at least by the time of the Maurya era.

- Gautama Buddha

The style of the Shunga period decorations at Sanchi bear a close similarity to those of Bharhut, as well as the peripheral balustrades at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya.

- Sanchi

The most important ones are located at Sanchi, Bharhut, Amaravati, Bodhgaya and Nagarjunakonda.

- Maurya Empire

Some of the earliest artistic depictions of the Buddha found at Bharhut and Sanchi are aniconic and symbolic.

- Gautama Buddha

A report on Bodh Gaya, Maurya Empire, Gautama Buddha and Sanchi

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