I have now reached the heartland of the historical Buddha. Siddhartha started his journey in his hometown Kapilavatthu, in Nepal. He crossed the Ganges and after about 30 days of hiking he reached Rajagaha, the capital of the Magadha Empire surrounded by mountains. Here he began to practice and later to teach for over 45 years.
From the Royal Buthan Monestary it is only 2 minutes to the Mahabodhi Temple. Mahabodhi means "great awakening", "Maha" for great, "bodhi" for awakening.
The temple was built on the spot where Buddha had his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, a fig tree.
On the west side of the temple there is an offshoot of this fig, a huge tree that is protected by a small wall with colorful prayer flags.
I am very impressed. Buddha himself would not have thought that his teaching would last that long, he only gave it 500 years. And since he lived around 600 BC, he misjudged by a good 2,000 years.
An overnight stay here at the famous Pipala Tree is out of the question, as many worshippers come here, so my goal for today is to look for a nice, large and quiet Pipala tree, under which I will camp tonight.
I'm going north, probably the same route that Buddha walked, but in the other direction. I am going north, the direction that Buddha came from.
I stay on small dirt roads and am often accompanied by children who giggle, nudge me and tease me.
Before Belaganj, after a 7 hour walk, I find a Pipala tree on the western flank of a rocky hill. This is going to be my camping spot today. I take off the backpack and put it against the tree. I have a great view over the hilly landscape and I'm curious how camping under a Bodhi Tree will be like.
If you are outdoors a lot and spend the nights outdoors, you choose your place according to practical criteria: The spot must be clean, protected from the sun, rain and wind. It is nice if you have a little comfort and can hang up your clothes to dry and have a good view.
The Pipala tree offers all of this. It spreads its branches wide, no bushes grow under the tree, just some grass and moss. It has a wide trunk behind which protects your from the wind.
It is easy to climb, just like a cherry tree.
I am not at all surprised that Buddha stayed under a pipala tree. This is perfect if you want to spend some time without worries.
Buddha was well protected and this led him to discover what he called the middle way.