page_title: Vajrasana, Bodh Gaya
section_title: Bharhut relief illustrating the Vajrasana
hierarchical_section_title: Vajrasana, Bodh Gaya / The throne / Bharhut relief illustrating the Vajrasana
caption_attribution_description: English: Bharhut Pasenadi Pillar, Outer Face Diamond Throne
context_page_description: The Vajrasana is an ancient stone slab located under the Bodhi tree, directly beside the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. The slab is thought to have been placed at Bodhgayā by emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire between 250-233 BCE, at the spot where the Buddha gained enlightenment about 200 years before.
  The vajrasana is the bodhimanda of Gautama Buddha. Being the site where Gautama Buddha achieved liberation, Tibetan texts also use the term vajrasana to refer to Bodh Gaya itself.
  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.
context_section_description: 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.
  The relief bears the inscription: "Bhagavato Sakamunino Bodho" ("The Bodhi (Tree) of the divine Shakyamuni", or "The illumination of the Blessed Sakyamuni"), thereby confirming the meaning of the relief.
caption: The Vajrasana as illustrated in Bharhut (2nd century BCE).
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