Mahabodhi Temple - Controversies and Disputes

Controversies and Disputes

There have been several controversies regarding the temple involving both the management and care of the temple, and claims made by Hindus and Buddhists regarding ownership or rights of access to the temple.

In August 2005, individuals associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were stopped by police while attempting to enter the Mahabodhi Temple to make an offering of blessed water to a pedestal or broken pillar within the temple complex. BJP officials claimed that a pedestal within the temple may be part of a Shiva linga, and that Hindus should be permitted access to the temple to make offerings to the pedestal. Buddhist monks associated with the temple claim that this represents an attempt by Hindu nationalist elements to assert control over the temple, and to establish the primacy of Hinduism by advancing the claim that the Buddha was an incarnation of the god Vishnu. They also claim that the structure which some Hindus have identified as a lingam is actually the broken base of a statue of the Buddha.

In 2006, it was alleged that a branch of the bodhi tree had been removed and sold to wealthy buyers in Thailand with the cooperation of senior members of the temple's management committee. Former temple secretary Kalicharan Yadav has denied this claim, contending that the branch was removed much earlier as part of a needed pruning effort recommended by botanists working with the temple. Government officials denied the claim that the tree had been recently cut or harmed, providing pictures of the tree from previous years and organizing an outing led by the Bihar home secretary to examine the alleged damage to the tree.

Bhante Pragyadeep, treasurer of the Buddhist Monks Association of India, has called for investigations into the temple's finances and the use of money donated to the temple.