Patna, Apr 5 (PTI) Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) supremo and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha on Saturday demanded an amendment in the provisions of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949 so that the management of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara Temple can be handed over to Buddhists.
The chief of the RLM, an alliance partner of the NDA, also demanded that the name of the state capital Patna be changed to Patliputra to honour Emperor Ashoka.
Speaking to reporters here, Kushwaha said, “The Buddhists are demanding that people from other religions should not be part of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), which oversees the management of the world-famous Mahabodhi temple.” “The BTMC comprises four Buddhists and Hindus each while the Gaya district magistrate serves as its ex-officio chairman. I demand that authorities concerned address the issue and ensure Buddhists’ control over the temple management committee by amending provisions of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949,” he added.
“I urge people belonging to the Sanatan Dharma to come forward and hand over the control of the temple, which is Buddhism’s holiest shrine, to the Buddhist,” he said.
The Mahabodhi Temple Complex comprises a 50-metre high grand temple, the Vajrasana, sacred Bodhi tree and other six sacred sites of Buddha’s enlightenment, surrounded by numerous ancient votive stupas, well maintained and protected by inner, middle and outer circular boundaries.
A seventh sacred place, the Lotus Pond, is located outside the enclosure to the south. Both the temple area and the Lotus Pond are surrounded by circulating passages at two or three levels and the area of the ensemble is 5 metres below the level of the surrounding land.
Earlier, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, had met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna and urged him to intervene in the ongoing protests by Buddhists in Bodh Gaya demanding control over the Mahabodhi Mahavihara Temple.
Kushwaha further said, “The name of the state capital Patna should be changed to Patliputra to honour Emperor Ashoka. We have been raising this issue for the last several years… the name of Patna should be changed to carry forward the legacy of Samrat Ashoka. India is incomplete without Ashoka and Buddhism.” “During Emperor Ashoka’s regime, this land was known as Patliputra and not Patna. Patna should be named Patliputra,” he said. PTI PKD ACD
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