In the Indian city of Bodh Gaya, Buddhists are demanding that control of the Mahabodhi Temple be handed over to them. The protesters are demanding the repeal of a 1949 law that allows Hindus to participate in the management of the temple.
In the city of Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar, Buddhists are holding a massive protest demanding that full control of the Mahabodhi Temple be handed over to their community. The demonstrations have spread to various parts of the country, from Ladakh in the north to Mumbai and Mysore, with more and more people coming to Bodh Gaya for the main protest.
Rallies have been held by multiple Buddhist organizations, from Ladakh in the north bordering China to Mumbai in the west and Mysore in the south. Akash Rama, secretary general of the All India Buddhist Forum, said more and more people are now heading to Bodh Gaya for the main protest, where there are about 8.4 million Buddhists, according to the latest Indian census in 2011.
But protesters, including monks wearing saffron robes and holding megaphones and banners, are demanding the bill be repealed and the temple be handed over completely to Buddhists. They argue that in recent years, Hindu monks have increasingly performed rituals that challenge the spirit of Buddhism under the constraints of the law, while other more subtle forms of protest have failed.
The Bodh Gaya Hindu temple, which performs rituals within the temple complex, insists that it has played a central role in maintaining order at the temple for centuries and that the law is on its side.
The protesters point out that Buddha was an opponent of Vedic rituals.
