An old dispute over control of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara enters a new phase, as Buddhists and Hindus dig in amid growing calls for change.
Anand Mishra currently serves as Political Editor, Frontline.
(Asian independent) In the Union Budget 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the Mahabodhi temple corridor in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, would be developed into a world-class pilgrimage and tourism site, modelled on the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor of Varanasi. While that is yet to materialise, several Buddhist groups under the banner of All India Buddhist Forum (AIBF) have been on an indefinite relay hunger strike at the shrine for over a month now, demanding that the management of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara, built by emperor Ashoka in 260 BCE, be entrusted to Buddhists alone.
On March 25, when the Bodh Gaya Math, a Shaivite monastery established in 1590, held a press conference to denounce the protest, the AIBF’s relay hunger strike had entered its 45th day, the longest protest in the recent history of Bodh Gaya.
The dispute over the control of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara, in whose premises Buddha is believed to have attained Samma-Sambodhi (perfect enlightenment) under a peepal tree, is not new. Even as far back as the 19th century, the Bodh Gaya Math, which had been managing the affairs of the temple for centuries, did not accede to the Buddhists’ demand to hand over the management of the premises. This issue has been the cause of multiple court cases and sporadic violence in the past.
