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Cunningham states that “it would seem that it (i.e. the polished sandstone slab of the Throne) did not occupy its original position and I believe that it must once have formed the upper slab of the sandstone throne which was found inside Asoka’s Temple”. He would further date both the brick-platform and the Great Temple to the reign of the Indo-Scythian King Huvishka. Barua, however, assigns both the sandstone slab and the platform to the beginning of the Christian era and would attribute their erection to the lady Kurangi, the sandstone portion of which may have originally enclosed the Vajrasana Temple.
Cunningham mentions (1861) “ Immediately to the east of the Pipal tree there is a massive brick temple, near 50 feet square at base and 160 feet in height from the granite floor of the lower story to the top of its broken pinnacle (The pinnacle was later restored). This is beyond all doubt the Vihar, from 160 to 170 feet in height, described by Hieun Tsang as standing to the east of the Bodhi tree. It was built of bluish bricks plastered with lime; it was ornamented with niches in stages, each niche holding a golden statue of Buddha, and was crowned with an amalaka fruit in gilt copper. The existing temple, both in size and appearance, corresponds so exactly with this description, that I feel quite satisfied it must be the identical temple that was seen by Hieun Tsang. ”
Bodh Gaya was visited by another Chinese traveller Fa-Hien between the years 399 to 414 A.D., but his account is brief. However, the account of Fa-Hien shows that there was no temple in existence then. Fa-Hien noted the spot where Buddha seated on a stone under a great tree, ate some rice presented to him by two maidens.
To be continued.....