English (UK) 
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Nederlands (nl-NL) Embark on a spiritual journey into the heart of India with our less than 13-minute video exploring Bodhgaya's sacred treasures. Broaden your knowledge of Buddhist temples from diverse countries, marvel at the Grand Buddha, and experience the authentic allure of Bakraur village. This professionally produced video navigates iconic sites including the Tibetan Temple, Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery, the Chinese Temple, and the Wat Thai Buddhagaya, among others. Supplementing your visual experience is an informative text providing a deep cultural context for each site visited. Take a moment, travel with us into the core of Buddhist spirituality. From history to culture, from breathtaking architecture to simple moments of life, Bodhgaya unveils itself to you in just a few clicks. Begin your journey now!
This film was made on the basis of photos and videos taken during the trip Buddhist India • Sikkim • Bihar • West Bengal (EN)
A click on this icon above displays the list of chapters of this film about Bihar • northeastern state of India in India. A click on a dot goes directly to a chapter.
Reading the text below will help you better understand the cultural context of the images in this video.
Chapters:
00:45 • Tibetan temple
03:42 • Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery (Tibetan)
04:38 • Chinese temple
06:12 • Wat Thai Buddhagaya (Thai)
07:07 • Karma Temple (Tibetan)
08:19 • Great Buddha
08:56 • Sujata Stupa
09:09 • Bakraur village
09:35 • the school
11:13 • the village
Bodhgaya
In Bihar, a state in northeastern India, about a hundred kilometers south of Patna is the small town of Bodhgaya.
If the city has retained modest dimensions (Bodhgaya has less than 40,000 inhabitants), it is nonetheless of major historical and religious importance.
Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)
It is in this city that Siddhartha Gautama attains nirvana, enlightenment.
The name of Siddhartha Gautama is unknown to many, but it is the name of Buddha. The term Buddha designating a stage in the religious achievement of men, meaning the awakened one. The shrine built on the place where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment is the subject of another film.
Bodhgaya falls into oblivion
Bodhgaya therefore existed as early as the 6th century BC, since Buddha lived there.
Fallen into oblivion following the Muslim invasions of the 12th century, Bodhgaya would only be reborn in the middle of the 19th century with one of the last restorations of the Mahabodi by archaeologist Alexander Cunningham.
Sacred cities of Buddhism
Bodghaya is one of the 4 sacred cities of Buddhism, the other 3 being Lumbini in Nepal (presumed birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama), Sarnath in India, a few kilometers from Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh (place where Siddhartha Gautama gave his first teaching ) and Kushinagar, a city also located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India (place where Siddhartha Gautama died).
Restoration of Bodhgaya
The end of the reconstruction and restoration work corresponds with the independence of India in 1949.
Since that time, Bodhgaya, after centuries of oblivion, has once again become a major pilgrimage site for Buddhists around the world.
So all the Buddhist countries were keen to come and build a temple there. A Tibetan temple and monastery, a Chinese temple, a Japanese temple, a Thai temple, and many more.
the Sujata stupa
Much older than these temples built after the rebirth of Bodhgaya, the Sujata stupa at the entrance to the village of Senanigrama (Bakraur) was erected in the 2nd century BC, in honor of a milkmaid named Sujata who allegedly offered milk and rice to Siddhartha Gautama, helping him achieve enlightenment after 7 years of fasting.
The village of Bakraur or Senanigrama
Beyond the Sujata stupa stretches the village of Bakraur (or Senanigrama). A village like all the villages of Bihar. With its farmers, cows, houses and schools.
We visited the school where we received honors from the students and where one of them sang us a song (which I think is a patriotic song).
Note the use of cow dung on the facades of houses, probably serving as thermal insulation.
A walk in this charming village allows you to come back down to earth after visiting all these temples. And it feels good...
about the place, Bodhgaya:
The city of Bodhgaya in the state of Bihar in India is above all a city of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi temple complex. It is under the ficus of the pagodas (or rather an ancestor of it) which is in the enclosure of this complex that the Buddha attains enlightenment (nirvana). Since the dawn of time, Bodhgaya has been a renowned religious center for both Buddhists and Hindus.
Bodhgaya is the most important of the Buddhist sites in India.
Music:
- YouTube video library - People Watching
- YouTube video library - Spying in the 60's
- YouTube video library - The Long Voyage to Outer Space
- YouTube video library - Vanity reprise
Disclaimer: Despite its appropriateness, copyright issues prevent the use of indian traditional music in "Bodhgaya, temples in town and life in a village • Bihar, India", hence the use of royalty-free music. Despite our careful selection, some might regret this decision, which is necessary to avoid potential lawsuits. Although difficult, this decision is the only viable solution.
