Bodh Gaya in the North Indian state of Bihar has long been recognized as the place where the Buddha achieved enlightenment. This book brings together the recent work of twelve scholars from a variety of disciplines - anthropology, art history, history, and religion - to highlight their various findings and perspectives on different facets of Bodh Gaya's past and present.

Introduction: The Multiple Lives of Bodh Gaya: Defining Views and Changing Perspectives Part 1: Empowering the Landscape of the Buddha 1. Gaya-Bodh Gaya: The Origins of a Pilgrimage Complex 2. Sacred Bodh Gaya : The Buddhaksetra of Gotama Buddha 3. The Changing Landscape at Bodh Gaya 4. Bodh Gaya and the Issue of Originality in Art Part 2: Monumental Conjectures: Rebirths and Retellings 5. Established Usage and Absolute Freedom of Religion at Bodh Gaya: 1861-1915 6. Queen Victoria Beneath the Bodhi Tree: Anagarika Dharmapala as Anti-Imperialist and Victorian 7. Bodh Gaya in the 1950s: Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahant Giri, and Anagarika Munindra C. 8. "Why Cause Unnecessary Confusion?": Re-inscribing the Mahabodhi Temple's Holy Places Part 3: Universal Dreams and Local Departures 9. World Heritage in the Shadow of Zamindari 10. Maitreya, or The Love of Buddhism: The Non-Event of a Bodh Gaya's Giant Statue 11. Universal Education and Social Transformation in Bodh Gaya 12. NGOs, Corruption, and Reciprocity in the Land of Buddha's Enlightenment