Row erupts over one of Buddhism's holiest sites in India

Protesters jostling for Buddhist community to control temple also used for Hindu rituals

- Nirmala Ganapathy

BIHAR - A row has erupted at a holy site in India, where for years Buddhist monks have prayed in front of a sacred fig tree alongside Hindus performing rituals for the peace and redemption of deceased relatives.

Hundreds of monks from different parts of the country are now staging a sit-in, demanding that management of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya be handed to the Buddhist community.

The temple in India's eastern state of Bihar is one of Buddhism's holiest sites. It is believed to be where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment while meditating under a sacred fig, or Bodhi, tree.

The monks went on a hunger strike on Feb 12 in front of the temple, but were forcibly taken to hospital two weeks later.

They were subsequently allowed to continue their demonstration at another site more than 1km away, after calling off the hunger strike.

At the heart of their demand is the repeal of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act 1949, a Bihar state law that mandates that the Mahabodhi Temple is administered by the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC).

The nine-member committee must comprise four Hindus and four Buddhists nominated by the state government, and the Gaya district magistrate as chairman.

The protesting monks said the district magistrate is almost always a Hindu, tilting the balance of the BTMC, and that they want the temple under exclusive Buddhist management.

They also want the Hindu rituals now conducted in a part of the temple complex shifted to an alternative site, arguing that it diminishes the Buddhist character of the sacred spot.

Religious polarisation has been growing in India, but ties between the majority Hindu and minority Buddhist communities have largely remained free of controversy.