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Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Genre: Buddhist History / Religious Studies / Indian History / Biography / Non-fiction

Book Review:
Alan Trevithick's ''The Revival of Buddhist Pilgrimage at Bodhgaya'' is a meticulously researched and deeply illuminating study of a transformative period in the history of Buddhism. It tells the story of how the most sacred site in the Buddhist world—the place of the Buddha's enlightenment—was rescued from centuries of neglect and obscurity and restored to its rightful place as a center of pilgrimage and devotion.

The book focuses on the crucial century and a half from 1811 to 1949, a period that saw Bodhgaya rediscovered by Western scholars, contested by Hindu and Buddhist interests, and ultimately reclaimed by the global Buddhist community. At the heart of this story is the remarkable figure of Anagarika Dharmapala, the Sri Lankan Buddhist revivalist whose passion and perseverance were instrumental in the Mahabodhi Temple's restoration.

Trevithick, a careful and insightful historian, does not simply present a hagiography of Dharmapala. He places him within a complex web of colonial politics, British archaeology, Hindu revivalism, and the emerging networks of international Buddhism. He examines the legal battles, the archaeological controversies, and the cultural negotiations that shaped the temple's fate. The result is a nuanced and balanced account that does justice to the complexity of the historical forces at play.

The book is a valuable contribution to several fields: Buddhist studies, modern Indian history, the history of archaeology, and the study of religious revivalism. It sheds light on a little-known but crucial chapter in the story of how Buddhism, after centuries of decline in its Indian homeland, began to reassert itself on the global stage.

For anyone interested in the history of Buddhism, the life of Anagarika Dharmapala, or the fascinating story of Bodhgaya itself, this book is an essential resource. It is a work of serious scholarship, but it is also a compelling narrative, bringing to life the people and events that shaped one of the world's most sacred places. Highly recommended.