Mumbai: To push for his demand for complete control of Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya to be handed over to Buddhists, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale will lead a mega rally on October 14 in Mumbai. The Mahabodhi Mahavihar Trust must be wholly managed by Buddhists, he said on Tuesday.
“The date for the Mahabodhi Mahavihar Mukti Andolan has been unanimously decided as on October 14, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956. The rally will be held from Ranibaug, Byculla, to Azad Maidan for the liberation of Mahabodhi Mahavihar,” said Athawale, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment and Republican Party of India (RPI) chief.
Ramdas Athawale demanded that the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Act should be amended. The Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is currently managed under the Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949, which mandates a nine-member committee comprising four Buddhists, four Hindus, and the district magistrate of Gaya as ex-officio chairperson. Athawale criticized this arrangement, arguing that a Buddhist temple should be managed solely by Buddhists.
“The Mahabodhi Temple is the holiest site for Buddhists across the globe. It is where Lord Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment. Such a sacred institution must be wholly managed by Buddhists,” he said.
The demand for exclusive Buddhist control of the Mahabodhi Mahavihar – a UNESCO World Heritage site – has persisted for decades. Buddhist monks in Bodh Gaya are actively protesting for ‘liberation of the Mahabodhi Temple trust.’
Ramdas Athawale also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to demand Buddhists’ control over Mahabodhi Temple.
The Mahabodhi Temple has been built in Bodh Gaya where Buddha was said to have attained ‘enlightenment’ about 2,500 years ago.
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