Abdul
Qadir,TNN | Apr 30,
2015
GAYA:
Bhadant Pragyasheel, Buddhist monk and former chief priest of the
world famous Mahabodhi temple has sought Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's intervention to end the century old dispute over management
rights of the shrine associated with Buddha's
enlightenment.
For nearly 125 years now Hindus and Buddhists are engaged in a
tussle over management rights of the shrine. Whereas the Buddhists
demand total Buddhist control over the shrine management, outfits
like VHP and RSS question Buddhist monopoly over Buddha on the
ground that Buddha was not a Buddhist alone deity as Hindus too
worship Buddha as a Vishnu incarnate.
In a petition addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhadant
Pragyasheel, who, besides being the former chief priest of the
shrine, is also the General Secretary of the All India Buddhist
Mahavihar Liberation Action committee, has reiterated the demand
for total Buddhist control over the shrine. When Srilankan Buddhist
missionary Angarika Dhammapala first raised the demand for Buddhist
monopoly over Mahabodhi shrine management in the year 1891, the
shrine was the personal property of the chief of the Shivite
monastery of Bodh Gaya.
Subsequently, the Bihar govt. incorporated the Mahabodhi Temple
Management Act 1949 in which the shrine was to be jointly managed
by a nine member committee comprising five Hindus and four
Buddhists with the Hindu District Magistrate of Gaya being the ex
officio chairman of the committee and in the case of Gaya DM being
a non Hindu, the state govt had to nominate a Hindu as the chairman
of the committee.
A couple of years back, the Act was amended to make the post of
chairman religion neutral and as per the amended act, whatever be
the religious belief of the Gaya DM he/she will be the ex officio
chairman of the management Committee.
In his petition addressed to PM Modi, the shrine former chief
priest has invoked articles 25 and 26 of the constitution
guaranteeing religious freedom to the Indian citizens and control
of followers of a particular religion over their respective places
of worship was there in the spirit of constitution. The Buddhists
maintain that as Hindus manage their temples, Muslims manage the
mosques and Sikhs manage the Gurudwaras etc. the Buddhists too
should have complete management rights over Mahabodhi temple, the
seat and symbol of Buddha's enlightenment.
Bhadant Pragyasheel hoped that the PM will do justice to the
Buddhists and take the initiative to transfer Buddha shrine
management to an all Buddhist Committee instead of the joint
Hindu-Buddhist management under the present
system.
A few years back the then Bihar Govenor RS Gavai and Acharya
Kishore Kunal, Chief of the Bihar Religious Trust Board worked on a
formula to resolve the century old dispute. As per the Gavai-Kunal
formula, Buddhists were to be given more say in the shrine
management with the post of shrine management committee secretary
being reserved for the Buddhist. But the formula was abandoned
following the premature transfer of Gavai from Bihar to Kerala as
Governor.
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