Vajrasana, Bodh Gaya

Diamond Throne
Vajrasana
The Diamond Throne in Bodh Gaya.
Material Polished sandstone
Period/culture circa 250 BCE
Discovered 24°41′45″N 84°59′28″E / 24.695939°N 84.991211°E / 24.695939; 84.991211Coordinates: 24°41′45″N 84°59′28″E / 24.695939°N 84.991211°E / 24.695939; 84.991211
Place Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India
Present location Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India
Diamond Throne

The Vajrasana (IAST: vajrāsana; diamond throne) is a throne in the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. It is thought to have been placed by Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire between 250-233 BCE,[1] at the location where the Buddha had reached enlightenment some 200 years earlier.[2]

The vajrasana is the bodhimanda (bodhimaṇḍa; seat or platform of enlightenment) of Gautama Buddha.[3] Being the site where Gautama Buddha achieved liberation, Tibetan texts also use the term vajrasana to refer to Bodh Gaya itself.[4]

The empty throne, not just at Bodh Gaya, was a focus of devotion in early Buddhism, treated as a cetiya or symbolic relic. It was not intended to be occupied, but operated as a symbol of the missing Buddha. Ancient images show devotees kneeling in prayer before it, as they still do.

The throne

Discovery

The Vajrasana, together with the remnants of the ancient temple built by Ashoka, was excavated by archaeologist Alexander Cunningham (1814-1893), who published his discovery and related research of the Mahabodhi Temple in his 1892 book Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple under the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya.

Description

As it survives now, the Vajrasana is a thick slab of polished grey sandstone, 7 feet 10-inches long by 4 feet 7-inches broad, and 6-inches thick. The whole top surface was carved with geometrical patterns, circular in the middle, with a double border of squares.[5]

The Diamond Throne and the Pillars of Ashoka
Discovery of Ashoka's Diamond throne in Bodh Gaya in 1892, near the spot of the Buddha's illumination and the Boddhi tree.
Side decorative bands of the Diamond Throne (top) and the Sanchi pillar capital (bottom), both featuring geese and flame palmettes.
Front decorative friezes of the Diamond Throne (top) and the Sankissa pillar capital (bottom), both alternating flame palmettes, rosettes and lotuses.

The sculpted decorations on the Diamond Throne clearly echoe the decorations found on the Pillars of Ashoka.[6] The Diamond Throne has a decorative band made on the sides of carvings of honeysuckles and geese, which can also be found on several of the pillar capitals of Ashoka,[7] such as the Rampurva capitals, and also pigeons on the back relief, nowadays hidden from view.[5] The geese (hamsa) in particular are a very recurrent symbol on the pillars of Ashoka, and may refer to the devotees flocking to the faith.[1] The same throne is also illustrated in later reliefs from Bharhut, dated to circa 100 BCE.[8]

The long frieze at the front is slightly different, and consists in stylized lotuses with multiple calyx, alternating with "flame palmettes of a slightly simpler design than on the side. A rather similar design can also be seen in the lost frieze of the Allahabad pillar of Ashoka.

The vajrasana has carvings on all sides, suggesting that the original temple built by Ashoka (bodhigriha) was open on all sides, an hammiya structure.[1] The small statues at the foot of the throne are of a later date, probably Kushan or Gupta.[5]

Ashoka

Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) at the Vajrasana. The throne appears clearly in its exact shape, with supporting columns.
Bharhut relief with the Vajrasana (similar to the Anagarika Dharmapala photograph with its supporting columns), and the Mahabodhi Temple around the Bodhi Tree (2nd century BCE).[9]

The Vajrasana was built by Ashoka in order to mark the place where the Buddha reached enlightenement.[10] Ashoka is thought to have visited Bodh Gaya around 260 BCE, about 10 years into his reign, as explained by his Rock Edict number VIII.[11] He describes his visit to Bodh Gaya, known in ancient times as Sambodhi ("enlightenement") or Vajrasana ("Vajrasana"):[12]

"In the past kings used to go out on pleasure tours during which there was hunting and other entertainment. But ten years after Beloved-of-the-Gods (Ashoka) had been coronated, he went on a tour to Sambodhi and thus instituted Dharma tours. During these tours, the following things took place: visits and gifts to Brahmans and ascetics, visits and gifts of gold to the aged, visits to people in the countryside, instructing them in Dharma, and discussing Dharma with them as is suitable. It is this that delights Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, and is, as it were, another type of revenue."

— Rock Edict No8, translation by Ven. S. Dhammika[12]

The throne slab dating from the time of Ashoka, was built when Ashoka established the first Bodh Gaya temple around the Bodhi tree circa 260 BCE.[7] The throne was initially found hidden behind a bigger throne of the Kushan period, and even an even bigger one, probably from the Pala period. It is thought that the Vajrasana was initially located at the bottom of the original Bodhi tree.[7] The slab is made of polished sandstone, and dated to the time of Ashoka.[7] This is the oldest known piece of architecture at Bodh Gaya.[7]

Bharhut relief illustrating the Vajrasana

The Vajrasana as illustrated in Bharhut (2nd century BCE).

According to the inscribed Bharhut relief related to the Vajrasana, the original Mahabodhi Temple of Asoka was an open pavilion supported on pillars. In the middle is seen the Vajrasana decorated in front with four flat pilasters. Behind the Throne appears the trunk of the Bodhi Tree, which rises up high above the building, and on each side of the Tree there is a combined symbol of the Triratna and the Dharmachakra, standing on the top of a short pillar. On each side of the Vajrasana room there is a side room of the same style. The top of the Throne is ornamented with flowers, but there is no figure of Buddha.[8]

The relief bears the inscription: "Bhagavato Sakamunino Bodho" ("The Bodhi (Tree) of the divine Shakyamuni", or "The illumination of the Blessed Sakyamuni"),[13] thereby confirming the meaning of the relief.[8]

Characteristics

The Vajrasana and its main components, Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya
(Front/ back/ right/ left orientation based on the modern disposition of the throne.)

The Vajrasana was encased under a massive statue of the Buddha
(back frieze, quite damaged, with pigeons visible)

Discovery of the Vajrasana
(Right side view).

Elevation plan of the original Vajrasana
(Front view).

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Buddhist Architecture, Huu Phuoc Le p.240
  2. ↑ A Global History of Architecture, Francis D. K. Ching, Mark M. Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash, John Wiley & Sons, 2017 p.570ff
  3. ↑ Buswell Jr. & Lopez Jr. 2013, Entry for bodhimaṇḍa.
  4. ↑ Buswell Jr. & Lopez Jr. 2013, Entry for vajrāsana.
  5. 1 2 3 Alexander Cunningham, Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple under the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya p.19 Public Domain text
  6. ↑ Allen, Charles (2012). Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor. Little, Brown Book Group. p. 133. ISBN 9781408703885.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Buddhist Architecture, Huu Phuoc Le, Grafikol, 2010 p.240
  8. 1 2 3 Mahâbodhi, Cunningham p.4ff Public Domain text
  9. ↑ Mahâbodhi, Cunningham p.4ff
  10. ↑ "Ashoka did build the Diamond Throne at Bodh Gaya to stand in for the Buddha and to mark the place of his enlightenment" in A Global History of Architecture, Francis D. K. Ching, Mark M. Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash, John Wiley & Sons, 2017 p.570ff
  11. ↑ Asoka, Mookerji Radhakumud Motilal Banarsidass Publisher, 1962 p.18
  12. 1 2 The Edicts of King Asoka, an English rendering by Ven. S. Dhammika, 1994
  13. ↑ Leoshko, Janice (2017). Sacred Traces: British Explorations of Buddhism in South Asia. Routledge. p. 64. ISBN 9781351550307.

References

  • Buswell Jr., Robert E.; Lopez Jr., Donald S. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400848058.
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