``In the 19th century, Sir Alexander Cunningham found the Mahabodhi Temple buried under a huge mound of earth. We are aware today that there are many ancient virahas and temples that are still buried and we would like to excavate them,'' says Binoy K Behl, director of the Cultural Documentation and Conservation Foundation (CDCF) and art historian, who has been the prime force behind the proposal to get the temple a World Heritage Site listing.

Behl has spent considerable time researching the historical aspects of the site, and hopes to raise enough funds to excavate other smaller temples and an ancient (???) buried around this temple. After researching the records and looking for references in them to major earthquakes or floods in the area, CDCF found that there was no record or scientific evidence of seismic activity in the area.

``The only way the temple and its surrounding areas could have been buried is during the Mughal invasions, when temples and other such structures were being destroyed by the Muslim conquerors. The Buddhist community present there must have hidden this complex under mud,'' surmises Behl.

He is confident that excavation will reveal a magnificent ancient city at the site, which to date continues to be a major place of international cooperation.

Restoration work on the Bodh Gaya Temple was carried out first during the reign of Ashoka, when he built the Vajrasana under the Bodhi Tree and the sculptural railings around it. The restoration work continued up to the 12th century AD, when Burmese kings carried out conservation work. ``After the 12th century, there is complete silence about this temple. This is also the time of the Muslim conquests. It was not till 1861 AD that the temple became prominent again after Cunningham excavated it,'' says Behl.

During the times of the Buddha, the forest tract where Bodh Gaya was located was called Uruvela (around the 6th century BC). After his enlightenment, the temple was called by various names, of which four were prominent: Sambodhi (meaning complete enlightenment as Ashoka called it), Bodhimanda (meaning the area around the Bodhi tree), Vajrasana (meaning diamond throne) and Mahabodhi (meaning great enlightenment).

In fact, the ancient Chinese traveller, Hieun Tsang, also referred to it as Mahabodhi. It was also referred to by this name during the reign of the Pala dynasty in the 13th century. After its excavation by Cunningham, it was popularly called the Bodh Gaya Temple.

On an average, the Mahabodhi Temple gets 1,000 visitors a day. There are 22 hotels in the town of Bodh Gaya and 14 monasteries, which can currently accommodate 2,500 persons per day. ``Right now, there are no environment pressures on the temple, which has a generally peaceful and healthy environment. The civic amenities are enough to cater to the tourist population visiting the temple,'' says Behl.

The one problem that the temple does face is the practice of burning oil lamps along its walls and railings. ``This is likely to cause damage to the temple walls and sculptures,'' says Behl. He feels that the entire Buddhist community needs to be motivated so that this practice may be contained and some alternative found without offending the sentiments of the devotees. ``There are many other places where Buddhist rinpoches have been persuaded to take the enlightened view of discontinuing the burning of oil lamps and candles near the place of worship. Instead, they have located a place well removed from the shrine, where a single oil lamp is kept burning with the offerings made by the devotees,'' points out Behl. Behl says that with the Bodh Gaya Temple on the verge of being listed as a World Heritage Site, the site will finally receive some long overdue attention.