[Buddha-l] Bodhgaya today

[jkirk]

From: Chris A. Stanford
To: Buddhist discussion forum
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 7:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] Bodhgaya today

On 8/1/05, jkirk <jkirk at spro.net> wrote:
What is undeniable is that Hindu priests have turned parts of the Buddhist
holy site into shrines to their own gods.

This is hardly news. This was done millennia ago when the Hindu power 
players incorporated the Buddha into their religion through making him an 
incarnation of Vishnu.
====================================================
Yes, that was done in terms of the tales told.
I wonder if there are any decent photos of the Bodhgaya complex shot, say, 
around 50 to 100 years ago.

Since 1949, the temple has been managed by Hindus, obviously a part of the 
issue, as this article indicates:

 'Hand over Mahabodhi temple to Buddhists'
 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
 Posted online: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 at 0151 hours IST

NEW DELHI, APRIL 4: The NCM has asked the the Government to hand over the 
Mahabodhi temple at Gaya to Buddhists. The Commission passed a resolution 
making it somewhat mandatory for the governments in New Delhi and Bihar to 
consider the issue.

Tarlochan Singh, chairman, NCM, said: ''The demand of Buddhists from all 
over the world could not be ignored for long.'' If Sikhs, Christians and 
Muslims can take control of their places of worship, why shouldn't this 
shrine be given to the community, he asked.

The resolution seeks that either Bihar amend or scrape its discriminatory 
Law - The Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949, which entrusts the management of the 
Bodhgaya complex to the Hindus - or the Centre make a fresh Act or 
promulgate an ordinance giving their due to the community.

JK





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