Maha Bodhi Society

The Maha Bodhi Society emerged from the late 19th-century Buddhist revival movement in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), spearheaded by Anagarika Dharmapala, a lay disciple of the American Theosophist Colonel Henry Steel Olcott. In 1891, while visiting Bodh Gaya, Dharmapala was distressed to find the Mahabodhi Temple in neglect and under Hindu management, with no Buddhist presence. He resolved to reclaim the site for Buddhists and, with the support of Japanese and Burmese monks, founded the society in Colombo on May 31, 1891. The society's early efforts included petitioning the British colonial government for control of the temple, a campaign that continued for decades and eventually led to the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, which established a joint Hindu-Buddhist management committee.

The society's core mission is to propagate Buddhism and support pilgrimage to sacred sites. It publishes the Maha Bodhi Journal, one of the oldest Buddhist periodicals in English, and has established libraries, schools, and meditation centers in India and abroad. The society also played a key role in the revival of Buddhism in India, particularly among the Dalit community, and collaborated with figures like B. R. Ambedkar, who led mass conversions to Buddhism in 1956.² Internationally, branches were founded in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Japan, making the society a global network for Buddhist education and interfaith dialogue.

Beyond its well-known advocacy for Bodh Gaya, the society initiated lesser-known projects such as the restoration of the ancient Buddhist university at Nalanda and the establishment of the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara at Sarnath, where Dharmapala installed relics of the Buddha in 1931.³ The society also published the Buddhist Text Society series, translating Pali texts into English and Sinhala. A notable but often overlooked figure is Devapriya Valisinha, who served as general secretary for over four decades and helped sustain the society through political upheavals. The society's archives contain rare photographs and manuscripts documenting early 20th-century Buddhist revivalism, a resource largely untapped by historians.

The Maha Bodhi Society's legacy is evident in the global Buddhist network it helped create, influencing later organizations like the World Fellowship of Buddhists. Today, it continues to operate its headquarters in Kolkata, with branches in Delhi, Sarnath, and Bodh Gaya, and remains active in social welfare, education, and interfaith initiatives. The society's centenary in 1991 was marked by international conferences and the publication of commemorative volumes, reaffirming its role as a bridge between traditional Buddhist cultures and modern global society.

Anagarika

A Sinhala term for a layperson who devotes their life to Buddhist practice without taking full monastic vows.

Bodh Gaya

The site in Bihar, India, where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment, now a major pilgrimage destination.

Mahabodhi Temple

The ancient temple at Bodh Gaya marking the spot of the Buddha's enlightenment, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.