Dambadiva is a land that is been worshiped by millions of Buddhists every day. It is the heart of all Buddhists. There is no other land in the world that can match the holiness of Dambadiva. People all over the world visit Dambadiva to experience the spirituality of this land. Dambadiva stood up high in all her glory during the time of her greatest son; Siddhartha Gauthama the Buddha. Today we see ruins of that golden era. But those ruins that witnessed the glorious era speak to our hearts about the magnificence of the Buddha with pride of being the Land of the Buddha.

Lumbini Park, now belongs to Nepal, is the birth place of Bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be) Siddhartha. Before being born in the human world, Bodhisattva dwelled in Heaven ‘Thusitha’ as deity Santhusitha. When the time was right, the deities invited the Bodhisattva to be born in the human world. Accepting the invitation, the Bodhisattva took conception in Queen Mahamaya as the son of King Suddhodana.

Queen Mahamaya on her way to the Kingdom of Kapilawastu to give birth, stopped at the beautiful Lumbini park at the foot of mountain range of Himalayan. As Queen Mahamaya felt the signs of birth, she stretched her arm to hold a ‘Sala’ branch for support. The Sala branch lowered itself to allow the Queen to hold. She delivered the baby while in the standing up position holding the ‘Sala’ branch, as all mothers of Bodhisattva’s do. The moment the Boddhisattha was born, two fountains of warm and cold water sprung from the holy ground of Lumbini. When the Bodhisattva’s feet touched the ground, Lotuses blossomed in his footsteps welcoming the foremost living being of all the worlds. Standing on the seventh Lotus, the Bodhisattva made the Lion’s roar which was heard throughout the entire ten thousand world-systems. The sacred ground of Lumbini and the remains of the Pillar of King Ashoka silently rejoice the glories era.

Māyāsuto sugata sākiya sīhanāto
Jātakkhane sapadāsa cankamitvā
Yasmim udīrai vara Lumbinimhi
Tam jāta cetiya maham sirasā namāmi

The Bodhisattva was born to Queen Mahamaya
Walked seven steps on this holy ground
Declared a Lion’s roar in his beautiful voice
I pay homage to this sacred birth place with my head held down with utmost respect.

Young Prince Siddhartha spent his luxurious youth in the city of Kapilawastu. Having realized that life is full of invariable dukkha, he embarked on a quest to find a solution. It was his deep compassion that led him to the quest ending in his enlightenment. Thus at the age of 29, Prince Siddhartha renounced the worldly life and became a shramana seeking nirvana. He learnt all methods that were there in use during that time but nothing provided the answer he was looking for. Shramana Siddhartha practiced extreme austerity only to find that it leads nowhere. Finally, all his perfections, all his merits and all his courage came together at one place.

Dambadiva bears the holy place where the shramana Siddhartha Gauthama triumphed the evil forces of Mara and His aspiration through millions of aeons flourished. It is the most sacred ground of Bodh Gaya; the Vajrasana. It is at Vajrasana the Bodhisattva Siddhartha defeated Mara. To gain the right to sit there the Bodhisattva spent uncountable number of aeons perfecting His life. And the mother earth bore the witness to that right and stood by the Bodhisattva Siddhartha in His greatest achievement of life. The sacred earth of Vajrasana is the victory land of our Supreme teacher the Samma Sambuddha. The era of truth, the era of perfection, the era of every goodness collected together started at the holy land of Bodh Gaya, Dambadiva. The Vajrasana temple, the most sacred ground on earth still triumphs the victory of Bodhisattva Siddhartha.

Yasmim nisajja vajirāsana bandhanena
Chetwā sawāsana kilesa balam munindā
Sambodhiñānamawagamma vihāsi sammā
Tam bodhi cetiya maham sirasā namāmi

Seated on victorious Vajrasana, the Buddha conquered the world with great courage
Destroyed all defilements and won the battle with great power
Became enlightened, knower of the world with great knowledge and awareness
I pay homage to this sacred victory ground with my head held down with utmost respect.

Thereafter, the Sammasambuddha spent several weeks around Bodh Gaya rejoicing the bliss of nirvana, contemplating the deep Dhamma He realized and attaining deep levels of concentration. During this time, the Buddha questioned if people living among sensuous pleasures would understand this Dhamma and hesitated to teach His realization thinking it would only make Him tired. At that moment Maha Brahma Sahampathi venerated the Buddha and invited with great earnest to teach the noble Dhamma. Accepting the invitation the most compassionate Buddha walked towards Isipathana deer park where the five shramanas dwelled.

At the Isipathana deer park in Baranas (today Varanasi) Gautama Buddha first taught the Dhamma to the five shramanas and the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of ‘Kondanna’. At that moment the entire universe vibrated and a light, surpassing the light of all the deities gathered, was illuminated though out the universe even to the lower worlds. The mother earth of Isipathana witnessed this unparalleled happening. It is from Isipathana deer park the ultimate truth that cannot be reversed or stopped by anyone in any world was heard. The realization of the Buddha was taught for the first time to all the worlds at the holy ground of Isipathana.

Samkampayam dasa sahassiya lokadhatum
Desesi yatra Bhagavā vara dhammacakkam
Baranasī pura samipa vane miganam
Tam dhamma cetiya maham sirasā namami

Shaking all the ten thousand world systems
Our Supreme Buddha expounded the first sermon,
the Dhammacakkapavattana sutta
At the Isipathana deer park near the city Baranasi
I pay homage to this sacred ground where the noble dhamma was delivered with my head held down with utmost respect.

From that day onwards for 45 years the most compassionate Buddha walked on the roads of Dambadiva, mediated under the trees of Dambadiva, dwelled in temples, in forests, in palaces offered liberating millions of people and deities from dukkha. At Chapala shrine (the age of 80) the Supreme Buddha accepted the invitation of evil Mara and decided to attain Pari-nibbana in 3 months. That very moment, the mother earth trembled. Rain started to pour from a clear sky and the sky broke out in thunder.

Three months from that day the Buddha, followed by monks entered the final destination of the journey, the Upawardana Sala grove which belonged to the kingdom of the Malla, near Kusinara. Venerable Ananda prepared a bed for the Buddha in between two Sala trees. The moment the Buddha lied down on the bed the two Sal trees started to blossom swiftly and in abundance. Then the flowers fell on the saffron robe paying homage to the Thathagatha. Comforting fragrances lingered in the air. A divine music was heard. Deities offered Madara flowers from heavens. When the Buddha attained Pari-nibbana, when the most compassionate heart stopped forever, when the most compassionate eyes closed forever the mother earth trembled. Thunder and lightening broke off. The senseless world paid homage to the Greatest One, the Supreme One who walked on this earth. The Pari-nibbana shrine, the holy ground is still silent with grief.

katvāna lokahitamattha hitam ca nāto
Āsītikowa Upawattanakananamhi
Yasmim nisajja Bhagavā nirupādhisesam
Nibbana cetiya maham sriasā namāmi

The Buddha helped the world with so much compassion
And entered to the Uppawardana Sala park at the age of eighty
Attained the pari-nibbana laying on this holy ground
I pay homage to this sacred ground where the Buddha attained Pari-nibbaba with my head held down with utmost respect.

Prajapathi Wijesinghe