Cross-disciplinary Perspectives on a Contested Buddhist Site Bodh Gaya Jataka

• Main Authors: Geary, David, Sayers, Matthew, Singh Amar, Abhishek
• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Routledge 2012; Taylor and Francis; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Series: Routledge South Asian Religion Series
• Subjects: Buddha Gaya Temple; Buddhism; South Asian Religion; South Asian Studies; anagarika; Lama Zopa Rinpoche; Bodh Gaya Temple; Bodh Gaya; Lama Yeshe; Younger Men; Theravada Monks; Vice Versa; dharmapala; Anagarika Dharmapala; Buddha's Enlightenment; society; gaya; mahabodhi; NGO Director; Mahabodhi Society; MBS; bodhi; Mahabodhi Temple; tree; Ambedkar Buddhists; Dalai Lama; Gotama Buddha; Buddha Jayanti; Local NGO Activity; NGO Activity; Bodhi Tree; Railing Pillars; Mahabodhi Temple Complex; temple; Sri Lankan Monks; Buddhist Site; maha; Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission; bodh
• ISBN: 0415684528; 9780415684521; 1138844721; 9781138844728
• DOI: 10.4324/9780203120354

Bodh Gaya in the North Indian state of Bihar has long been recognized as the place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment. This book brings together the recent work of twelve scholars from a variety of disciplines - anthropology, art history, history, and religion - to highlight their various findings and perspectives on different facets of Bodh Gaya's past and present. Through an engaging and critical overview of the place of Buddha's enlightenment, the book discusses the dynamic and contested nature of this site, and looks at the tensions with the on-going efforts to define the place according to particular histories or identities. It addresses many aspects of Bodh Gaya, from speculation about why the Buddha chose to sit beneath a tree in Bodh Gaya, to the contemporary struggles over tourism development, education and non-government organizations, to bring to the foreground the site's longevity, reinvention and current complexity as a UNESCO World Heritage monument. The book is a useful contribution for students and scholars of Buddhism and South Asian Studies.