Restoration of Buddhist Sites in India

(extracted from Buddhist Pilgrimage, by Bro Chan Khoon San)

The disappearance of Buddhism in India lasted six centuries, from the 13th -19th  century AD. According to Ven. Bhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap, it was almost so complete that even in recent times, the local people of Patna, Rajgir and Muttra, once the strongholds of Buddhism, could not even recognize the Buddhist relics that were discovered there. While in many places, the Buddha statues that were not destroyed came to be worshipped as Hindu deities. The coming of the British in the 19th  century into India saw the excavation of many ancient Buddhist sites which had lain buried during those lost centuries. The person who played the prime role was Sir Alexander Cunningham (1814-1893), the first Director General of Archeology and the pioneer explorer of Buddhist heri-tage in India. A man of military discipline, he became associated with archeology when he undertook excavation of the Dhamek stupa in Sarnath around 1840. He had an innate concern for ancient remains, and was deeply disturbed by the way the monu­ments were suffering from vandalism and the ravages of nature. When Cunningham was appointed the Archeological Surveyor of Indian Archeology in 1861 to lead a scheme for the survey of Northern India, he had a well-formulated plan of following the travel records of the famous Chinese pilgrims Fa Hsien and Hsüan Tsang. These records have proven to be of immense help in locating many of the ancient Buddhist sites such as Kusinara, Sankasia, Savatthi, Nalanda, Kosambi and many others that had become obscured with time.
 

While Cunningham was dedicated to the restoration of Buddhist heritage sites, another person who dedicated his life to reclaiming them for the Buddhists was Anagarika Dharmapala (1865-1933), pioneer of the Buddhist revival-movement in India. Born in Sri Lanka by the name of David Hewavitarana, he later took the name of Anagarika Dharmapala, which means “Homeless Guardian of the Dhamma”. Dharmapala came to Bodhgaya in 1891 after reading several articles written by Sir Edwin Arnold, author of the “Light of Asia”, describing the deplorable condition of the Maha Bodhi Temple, the most sacred place of worship of Buddhists. What he saw shocked and saddened him so deeply that he vowed to devote his whole life “…to make this sacred spot to be cared for by our own bhikkhus”.
 

Realizing that it would not be an easy task to accomplish unless the message of the Buddha spread, he founded the Maha Bodhi Society of India to spearhead the movement. With the Maha Bodhi Society started the process of revival and regeneration of Buddhism, which had nearly become extinct in the country of its origin. Starting at Bodhgaya, where the battle to regain control of the Mahabodhi Temple began, the Maha Bodhi Society ex­panded its activities to Sarnath, venue of the First Sermon. When Anagarika Dharmapala came to India in 1891, Sarnath had been reduced to a tiny village surrounded by jungle, which was the grazing ground of wild pigs. Dharmapala decided to restore it into a living shrine, by building a new vihara beside the famous Deer Park. With the completion of the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara in 1931, and the subsequent establishment of the Maha Bodhi Society Library, Free Clinic, Primary and High School, Teachers Training College, Hostel for pilgrims and a sangharama, Sarnath is once again pulsating with life. The impact of the expanding activities of the Maha Bodhi Society was soon felt throughout India, and led to the Buddhist revival movement in major cities in India. With its headquarters in Calcutta, the Maha Bodhi Society has expand­ed its activities to many cities in India, as well as overseas in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, England and the USA.
 

Gradually, all the eight great places of pilgrimage were restored and developed as religious-cum-tourist resorts. Most of them have re­gained much of their lost glory and are pulsating with life, thanks to the concerted efforts of the Sangha, archeologists, historians and lay devotees in their restoration. In particular, the Burmese and Sri Lankan Buddhists have played a crucial role by building viharas to accommodate the Sangha, so that the bhikkhus can act as custodians of the holy shrines and enhance the sanctity of the environment. Many of the shrines are located in rural areas that lack basic amenities, and the monks there play a useful role in pro­moting the education and welfare of the local population. Once again, they are living shrines, worthy of worship and veneration to which thousands of devotees come every year from all over the world to pay homage to the Greatest Teacher (Sattha) the world has ever known, the Lord Buddha, and earn merit by this pil­grimage of piety and faith. A visit to these repositories of glorious Buddhist heritage will certainly uplift the mind and enable one to develop many good qualities. The sight of fellow pilgrims, who come from far and wide with the common aim of honoring the Blessed One, will surely arouse appreciative joy (mudita) in one’s heart. All devout Buddhists should heed the Buddha’s exhortation and go on a pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.