NEW DELHI: The President of National Buddhist Council has moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to remove the Iron Gate in front of Lord Buddha’s Statue in Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya (Bihar),

Kandaswamy Singh, the president of the society, told the court that the Iron Gate was obstructing the Buddhists in doing their vipasana (meditation). The gate blocked their version when they sat before the statue for vipasna, he said.

He has also alleged that vishnupad foot prints of Lord Vishnu on stone have been stealthily placed on the third step leading to the platform where the 10 foot Statue of Lord Buddha is located. He had filed a petition on Nov.21, 1992, seeking removal of the Hindumahant and the shivlinga from the temple and the restoration of the vihara to Buddhists.

Unable to properly comprehend his poorly drafted fresh petition, the judges justice J.S. Verma, jus tice N.P.Singh and justice SP.Bhanicha, had earlier asked him to draft it properly. But when the petitioner came with the same petition Oct26, the judges appointed it to Shanti Bhushan, a senior advocate and Prashant Bhushan amicus curiae (a fiend of court) assist Mr.Singh, And the mat to has been listed for January 1,1994.

The Bodh Gaya has been in the eye of the storm for over a century with both the Buddhists and the Hindus claiming management of the Bodh Gaya temple. Later Buddhist monks and neo Buddhists have intensified their agitation for gaining total control of the Mahabodhi temple managements, they have been demanding change in the Mahabodhi Temple Management Act, 1949, and the transfer of the temple management to an all Buddhist committee.

Al present a nine member committee, with Hindu majority, looks after the temple. It can be chaired only by Hindu district magistrate of Gaya. In the case of the district magistrate being anon Hindu, the State government is under statutory obligation to nominate Hindu as the committee’s chairman.

In May this year, during Lord Buddha’s birth anniversary, the Buddhists had held major agitations in Bodh Gayaand elsewhere in the country for gaining control of the Mahabodhi temple.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 5, 1993