The oldest Buddha statue ever found at Bodh Gaya, now badly damaged, dates from the year 283 CE and may have been made for this shrine, Buddha statues were just coming into vogue at about this time. We know from inscriptions and the accounts of pilgrims that a Buddha statue of great beauty was made for the temple. For about 700 years this Buddha statue sat on the altar in the sanctum of the Mahābodhi Temple and was the most revered of all the many statue to be seen at Bodh Gayā. Jayasena is mentioned in another inscription as having donated land to the Sri Lankan monks at Bodh Gaya. While this obscures the statue’s original character it does not detract from the powerful impression it leaves on those who come to Bodh Gaya.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 22, 2018 06:10 UTC