namaste, bodhgaya!

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"psst."

a bespectacled old nepalese monk, stooped over his scriptures, beckoned to me. discreetly rubbing his thumb and forefinger together, he looked at me in earnest.

i was flabbergasted. who would have seen that coming? giving the only response i knew in an awkward situation like that, i smiled and carried on my way.

i do not think he is a fraud, and he was not the first at the mahabodhi temple to ask for bakeesh (a bribe, or in this case, a 'donation'😉. earlier, a cute nepalese monk, barely ten, asked for ten rupees, which i did not hand over, after i had taken his photograph at his request. correct me if i am wrong, but shouldn't i be doing the asking instead?

times have changed. renouncing all worldly pursuits and leading an austere life have become a thing of the past. monks today tote the latest mobile phones and ipods, and some even own more expensive-looking cameras than i do! while these modern day monks are a fairly common sight, it still takes some getting used to, and i believe i am not alone. i do not know what the do's and don'ts are for the modern monk or whether there are even rules at all, but asking outrightly for 'donations', i believe, is not a standard protocol. back at home, being a 'bad-weather buddhist', i have zero contact with them, which explains my ignorance. the most famous monk in the country, and almost a celebrity, is currently serving a jail sentence for fraud.

no, i am not disillusioned, but still very much believe in the purpose of religion, or in my case, the buddhist philosophy, in the modern world. i digress.

i arrived in bodhgaya after a short four-hour train journey from varanasi, and found myself in the middle of an eleven-day international tipitaka chanting council. thousands of monks and pilgrims from all over southeast asia and the neighbouring south asian nations congregated at the mahabodhi temple to meditate and chant under the bodhi tree. the colourful sea of robes enveloped in a cacophony of incantations sung in myriad tongues was quite a spectacle to behold. and at the risk of sounding like a hippie, the spiritual vibe surrounding the temple complex was terribly infectious.

my arrival also coincided with the birthday of the thai monarch. once again, the thais demonstrated their love for their ailing king. throngs of thai pilgrims (they were everywhere), decked out in their pristine white robes, prayed fervently for his good health and quick recovery. or so i deduced from his portrait placed under the bodhi tree and news of his hospitalisation. i doubt any other people would do the same for their leaders, and in some cases, wishing for their early demise is a more plausible scenario.

i had always wanted to visit bodhgaya, the birthplace of buddhism, where buddha gained enlightenment under the bodhi tree. in fact, it was one of the main reasons for travelling to india, the other being the inspiration i got from steve mccurry's emotive photo exhibition on india. although it lacks the ostentatiousness of a typical thai wat or chinese temple, the mahabodhi temple is breathtaking in its simplicity. and to my surprise, inside the imposing temple is just a cramped prayer area, a simple altar and on it sits a beautiful gold statue of buddha.

it is a whole different world once you step outside of the temple complex. beggars of all ages and deformities lined the filthy streets, welcoming you back to the grim reality. till today, i still cannot reconcile the fact that this spiritual wonderland is found in one of the poorest and most lawless states in india.

next stop, sanchi.

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