The Buddhist spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been accused to have disappointed the sentiments of the Buddhist group spearheading the demand to pass the control of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya to the Buddhists. The buddhist monk has urged His Holiness to demand for the same from the respective authorities.
The Mahabodhi temple which is managed on behalf of the Bihar government by a nine-member committee is headed by the District Magistrate in Bodh Gaya. The state government’s Temple Management Act allows only a Hindu to head this managing committee which comprises of four Buddhists and an equal number of Hindu members for a three-year period with the Gaya District Magistrate as its ex-officio chairman and the Mahanth of the Sankaracharya Math as ex-officio Hindu member.
“The Dalai Lama should break his silence over this issue and demand Buddhist control over the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya…he has so far disappointed by not raising this genuine demand,” said Bhante Anand, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Bhikkhu Mahasangh (ABBM) and also president of Bodh Gaya Mukti Andolan Samiti according to the report in Business Standard. Anand is urging the Dalai Lama to demand this handover from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
“It is unfortunate that the Dalai Lama has time and again exposed himself that for him Buddhist-control over the temple is not an issue. He has been doing his politics for decades. He is busy in his own agenda…,” Anand added according to the report.
The Buddhist monk said that it is the only such holy place in the world where control of the most sacred shrine of one religion is in the hands of people belonging to another religion. He is demanding the Bihar government to amend the Mahabodhi Temple Management Act, 1949.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is presently taking a month long sojourn in Bodh Gaya has recently announced to commit his life at reviving the ancient Nalanda Buddhist tradition in India. He has been the torch bearer of promoting inter religious harmony, peace and compassion across the world today irrespective of the religion you follow.