Maha Bodhi Society
Part of a series on |
Buddhism |
---|
The Maha Bodhi Society is a South Asian Buddhist society presently based in Kolkata, India. Founded by the Sri Lankan Buddhist leader Anagarika Dharmapala and the British journalist and poet Sir Edwin Arnold, its first office was in Bodh Gaya. The organization's efforts began in order to resuscitate Buddhism in India, and to restore the ancient Buddhist shrines at Bodh Gaya, Sarnath and Kushinara. The restoration and revival of the glory and sanctity of Bodh Gaya are also aims of Maha Bodhi Society.[1][2][3][4]
Although many Indians had remained culturally Buddhist for centuries after the decline of Buddhism, they did not self-identify as "Buddhist". [citation needed] The Maha Bodhi Society renewed interest in Buddhism, and spawned the Ladakh Buddhist Association, All Assam Buddhist Association, and Himalayan Buddhist Society, as well as laying the grounds for the Dalit Buddhist movement.[5]
Origins
In 1891, while on
The Mahabodhi Society at
Maha Bodhi Society branches have been established in several countries, most significantly in India and Sri Lanka. A United States branch was founded by Dr. Paul Carus in Chicago.[10]
The Mahā Bodhī Society of Beṅgaḷūru , founded by Buddharakkhita Ācariya in 1956, is a sister organization that functions and is administered independently.
The Mahabodhi Temple
After the defeat of the Palas by the Hindu Sena dynasty, Buddhism's position again began to erode and was soon followed by the conquest of Magadha by General
In the 1880s, the then-British government of India began to restore Mahabodhi Temple under the direction of Sir Alexander Cunningham. In 1885, Sir Edwin Arnold visited the site and published several articles drawing the attention of the Buddhists to the deplorable conditions of Buddhagaya.[2] He was guided in this undertaking by Ven. Weligama Sri Sumangala.[3][4] In 1891, Anagarika Dharmapala started a campaign to return control of the temple to Buddhists, over the objections of the mahant. The campaign was partially successful in 1949, when control passed from the Hindu mahant to the state government of Bihar, which established a temple management committee. The committee has nine members, a majority of whom, including the chairman, must by law be Hindus. Mahabodhi's first head monk under the management committee was Anagarika Munindra, a Bengali man who had been an active member of the Maha Bodhi Society.
Mulagandha Kuty Vihara in Sarnath
Mulagandha Kuty Vihara in Sarnath is a fitting reminder of Sarnath's past glory. It is also the crowning and most glorious achievement of Anagarika Dharmapala's lifelong dedication. The construction of the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara was taken up by Anagarika Dharmapala in 1926, towards the end of his pious life. When he decided to construct a temple at Sarnath and after making the architectural plans, it was the generous Hawaiian Lady, Mary Foster who gave the first financial assistance that came from her parents, brother and well-wishers. Anagarika Dharmapala personally supervised the constructional works. The 200 feet high magnificent temple was opened to public in 1931. Later a reputed Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu (1885- 1973)[12] and his assistant undertook the task to decorate the temple walls with fresco paintings famously as the Mural paintings of Mulagandha Kuty Vihara, depicting the life events of Sakyamuni Buddha. On the opening day of the Vihara, the Buddha's relics donated to Anagarika Dharmapala by Govt. of India under the British Raj was enshrined in the temple. The Vihara, an attractive place of Buddhist worship was visited by numerous Indian and foreign dignitaries and millions of pilgrims and tourists over the past decades. At the Mulagandha Kuty Vihara annual function in November, the most attractive item among the programs is the exposition of the Buddha's sacred relic. People from different countries and from the homeland visit the Vihara to homage to the sacred relic considering it as a rare and an opportune moment in their lifetime.
Publications
The Maha Bodhi Society has a robust tradition of publications, spanning from
Leadership
Most Venerable P Seewalee Thero is serving as the 12th and current General Secretary of the Maha Bodhi Society of India since 2016 and the Joint Secretaries are Venerable Kahatagollawe Medhankara Thero and Ven. Rathmalwa Sumithananda Thero.
At a meeting in September 2008, the Maha Bodhi Society passed a rule that only persons born into Buddhist families will be eligible to serve as president or as one of the vice-presidents of the Society. The outgoing president,
See also
- Acharya Buddharakkhita
- Anagarika Munindra
- Hammalawa Saddhatissa
- London Buddhist Vihara
- Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Centre, Chennai
- Buddhism in India
References
- ^ "Welcome to Maha Bodhi Society of India". Mahabodhi Society of India. 28 July 2011. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013.
- ^ a b c [<-- non working ref --> http://mahabodhisociety.com/ Maha Bodhi Society]
- ^ a b c Arnold, Edwin (1906). India Revisited, London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner
- ^ a b c Dipak K. Barua (1981). “Buddha Gaya Temple: its history”, Buddha Gaya: Buddha Gaya Temple Management Committee
- ^ D.C. Ahir. Buddhism in Modern India. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1991. p. 17.
- ISBN 1-885211-56-2pg 81-82
- ^ A Close View of Encounter between British Burma and British Bengal
- ^ a b c Arnold Wright, Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources, "Angarika Dharmapala", Asian Educational
Services, 1999, ISBN 81-206-1335-Xpg.119
- ^ ISBN 90-04-02598-7pg. 453
- ISBN 0-8248-2810-0. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ The Maha-Bodhi By Maha Bodhi Society, Calcutta (page 205).
- ^ Kosetsu Nosu: The Japanese Artist who Painted at Sarnath, Satyasri Ukil,
- ^ Sengupta, Ratnottama (September 28, 2008).Now, Hindus can't head Mahabodhi Society Times of India