Bihar
Bodhgaya Temple
- 05 Apr 2025
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Several Buddhist monks are protesting at Mahabodhi Mahavihara (Bodhgaya Temple) in Bihar demanding repeal of the Bodhgaya Temple Act (BTA), 1949.
Key Points
- About the Issue:
- This protest is being carried out by various Buddhist groups led by All India Buddhist Forum (AIBF) .
- They are opposed to the provision of making Hindu followers members of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) under this Act .
- Buddhist monks say that the management of the temple should be completely in the hands of the Buddhist community.
- Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC):
- BTMC was established in 1953 under the Bodhgaya Temple Act, 1949 to manage the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
- This committee has four members from the Buddhist community and four from the Hindu community.
- As per the Act, the District Magistrate (DM) of Gaya is the ex-officio Chairman of the Committee .
- Bodhgaya Temple
- The Mahabodhi Temple located in Bodh Gaya is a sacred place of Buddhism.
- It deals with the life of Lord Buddha and especially his attainment of enlightenment.
- The Mahabodhi Temple was built by Emperor Ashoka in 260 BC after he adopted Buddhism.
- It is one of the earliest Buddhist temples built entirely of bricks.
- It was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in the year 2002.
- Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang has given a detailed description of this temple.
- The present temple structure was built by the Gupta rulers in the 5th or 6th century AD.
