THE MAHABODHI TEMPLE OF BODH GAYA
India
Where the Buddha Found Enlightenment
Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince in 480 BCE. Fleeing the shelter of his palace, he saw the suffering in the world, and sought an aesthetic life. But under a bodhi tree in Bihar, at what would become Bodh Gaya, he achieved enlightenment, becoming the Buddha and founding the religion that would follow him.
Vivek Vasan of the Historical India podcast returns to talk about the Buddha and also his contemporary Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. In addition, we delve into the careers of two kings who followed their teaching while building India's first great empire: Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka. It's storytelling time!
Even better, Vivek shares his mom's litti chokha recipe as we visit Bihar to see the great temple by the Bodhi Tree.
Sources:
Allen, Charles. Ashoka: the Search for India's Lost Emperor
Keay, John. India: a History
Khilnani, Sunil. Incarnations : a History of India in Fifty Lives
Lonely Planet Guide to India
Nelson, Walter Henry. Buddha: His Life and His Teaching
Photo by user bpilgrim on wikicommons