Maha Bodhi Society of India is a premier international Buddhist organisation founded by Anagarika Dharmapala. At the beginning, its main objective was a frontline vehicle to restore the control of the ancient Buddha Gaya Temple to Buddhists and to revive Buddhism after a vacuum of 800 years.
From its inception, the Maha Bodhi Society has acted as a representative of the Buddhist community and provided a platform to the world Buddhist community to voice their opinions. It has worked for over a century to unite Buddhists all over the world not only to propagate Buddhism, but also to restore their due rights. The Society does not identify with any particular school of Buddhism, but represents and serves all sections of the philosophy alike.
Following the teachings of the Buddha and the vision set by its founder, Anagarika Dharmapala, the Maha Bodhi Society of India is widely engaged in charitable and social welfare activities, beside educational and religious services.
‘The Maha Bodhi’, the world’s oldest Buddhist journal is a regular publication and was also founded by Anagarika Dharmapala in 1892. Through this journal the Society communicates and addresses Buddhists world over.
The Society has its centres and affiliated centres in India and abroad, with its headquarters in Kolkata. Some of the prominent centres are Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Lumbini, New Delhi, Lucknow, Sravasti, Bhubaneshwar and Nowgarh. Among the famous international centres are England, Japan, Korea, America, and Hong Kong. These centres, in addition to the propagation of Buddha’s teachings, extend valuable services in social welfare and serve pilgrims visiting from home and abroad by providing accommodation and other facilities.
The land on which the Maha Bodhi Society in New Delhi is built was a gift by the British Viceroy of India, handed over to the Society and the cost of the construction was entirely borne by the generosity of Raja Seth Jugal Kishore Birla. The foundation stone was laid by K. Yonewaza, the Japanese Consul General in India in 1931 and this Buddhist Temple (Delhi Centre) of Maha Bodhi Society of India was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1939 before independence.
This centre is located on Mandir Marg in New Delhi, very close to Lakhmi Narayan Temple, famously known as Birla Mandir.
Since then, the Buddha Vihara has been continuously functioning as the most venerable centre for Buddhism in the capital of India. Thousands of devotees, irrespective of faith and identification, pay frequent visits to the vihara to pay homage to the Buddha and His compassionate message of peace and non-violence.
The Buddha vihara houses a beautiful gold polished Buddha murti, another exquisite Buddha murti of Burmese origin within a highly decorated frame, and a beautiful picture of Buddha gifted by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
Along with celebrating various occasions related to the Buddha’s life and Buddhism, the centre also conducts weekly meditation programmes (vipassana) and daily prayers. It also houses a vast collection of books on Buddhism in its library. Visit this beautiful vihara during your next visit to New Delhi.
The information has been provided by the Mahabodhi Society of India, New Delhi Centre.
For more information, email at: mbsidelhi@yahoo.com.
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