BBS monks protest against India over Bodh Gaya blast
Thursday, 11 July 2013 02:37
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Colombo (Reuters): Hundreds of Buddhist monks protested outside the Indian High Commission in Colombo Wednesday (10 July) condemning a series of explosions in and around India’s holiest Buddhist shrine Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar on Sunday (7 July).
The protest led by the Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena was joined by dozens of monks from Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Mahabodhi Temple complex is located in Bodh Gaya, the place where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.
Four blasts occurred inside the Mahabodhi Temple premises, three blasts at Tergar monastery and another near the famous 80-foot Buddha statue, officials said.
“We are humbly here in a very peaceful way, to tell Indians to protest at all the holy places in India. Not only Buddhagaya, all the other important places in India. I know every month millions of people from all over the world go to India to worship, pay their respects towards all those holy places. And they make millions of dollars through these pilgrims. So, their duty and their responsibility is to protect and preserve all those important Buddhist places for future generations to see,” said Kirama Wimalajothi Thero, the head of the Bodu Bala Sena in Sri Lanka. The temple is a UNESCO world heritage site. More than 70% of Sri Lanka’s 20 million people are Buddhists and thousands of them visit the site annually.
