page_title: Mahabodhi Temple
section_title: Mauryan establishment
hierarchical_section_title: Mahabodhi Temple / Temple construction / Mauryan establishment
caption_attribution_description: English: Diamond throne discovery
context_page_description: The Mahabodhi Temple or the Mahabodhi Mahavihar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an ancient, but much rebuilt and restored, Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, marking the location where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is about 96 km from Patna, Bihar state, India.
  The site contains a descendant of the Bodhi Tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment, and has been a major pilgrimage destination for Hindus and Buddhists for well over two thousand years, and some elements probably date to the period of Ashoka. What is now visible on the ground essentially dates from the 7th century CE, or perhaps somewhat earlier, as well as several major restorations since the 19th century. But the structure now may well incorporate large parts of earlier work, possibly from the 2nd or 3rd century CE.
  Many of the oldest sculptural elements have been moved to the museum beside the temple, and some, such as the carved stone railing wall around the main structure, have been replaced by replicas. The main temple's survival is especially impressive, as it was mostly made of brick covered with stucco, materials that are much less durable than stone.
context_section_description: In approximately 250 BCE, about 200 years after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, Buddhist Emperor Ahsoka visited Bodh Gaya in order to establish a monastery and shrine on the holy site, which have today disappeared.
  There remains however the Diamond throne, which he had established at the foot of the Bodhi tree. The Diamond throne, or Vajrasana, is thought to have been built by Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire between 250–233 BCE,. at the location where the Buddha reached enlightenment. It is worshiped today, and is the center of many festivities at the Mahabodhi Temple.
  Representations of the early temple structure meant to protect the Bodhi tree are found at Sanchi, on the toraṇas of Stūpa I, dating from around 25 BCE, and on a relief carving from the stupa railing at Bhārhut, from the early Shunga period (c. 185–c. 73 BCE).
caption: Discovery of the Diamond throne, built by Ashoka c. 250 BCE.
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