Prayers Resume at Bombed Site of Buddha’s Enlightenment

Prayers Resume at Bombed Site of Buddha’s Enlightenment
Buddhist monks from Thailand offer prayers while armed Indian security personnel stand guard in the background at the Mahabodhi temple complex in Bodh Gaya on July 8, 2013, after the temple re-opened following blasts over the weekend. Indian police arrested a man July 8 over weekend bomb attacks targeting one of Buddhism's holiest sites and were studying CCTV footage that appeared to show two men planting explosives. (STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)
Venus Upadhayaya
7/9/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

Mahabodhi Temple, the site of Buddha’s enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, opened to pilgrims 36 hours after ten bombs blasted in and outside the temple on Sunday.

Monks from 50 countries offered special prayers after the temple reopened on Monday evening amidst tight security.

Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory to the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune.

According to Indian broadcaster IBNlive, the advisory asked for special care to be taken of Buddhist shrines, places of worships, and Tibetan settlements in the wake of the conflict between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Burma (officially known as Myanmar). Security has also been stepped up at the private office of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in Dharamsala, according to IBNLive. 

Mahabodhi temple was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2002.  The temple and the famous Mahabodhi tree remained unharmed in the blasts that injured two monks.
 
Venus Upadhayaya reports on India, China and the Global South. Her traditional area of expertise is in Indian and South Asian geopolitics. Community media, sustainable development, and leadership remain her other areas of interest.
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