(TibetanReview.net, Aug05’25) – The Supreme Court of India has on Aug 4 agreed to examine a long-pending plea by a section of Buddhists in the country, seeking total Buddhist control over the management and administration of the UNESCO World Heritage site Mahabodhi Mahavihara at Bodh Gaya in the state of Bihar. The issue has been raised from time to time, and a bench of India’s apex court has now agreed to examine a plea for repealing the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949, reported the timesofindia.com Aug 4.
The petitioners’ demand is said to include replacing the Act with a central law.
The report said a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to the Centre and others seeking their responses on the petition and tagged it for further hearing. Earlier, on Jun 30, the apex court was stated to have turned down the petition and asked the petitioner to move the high court concerned.
The Mahavihara campus in Bodh Gaya is the most sacred site to Buddhists across the world. It comprises the sacred Bodhi (peepal) tree, the around 50-metres tall shrine structure, the lotus pond known as Muchlind pond, several ancient stupas and other religious signs of Buddha’s enlightenment journey. Practising meditation under the shadow of the tree, Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment to be called Buddha, around 2,600 years ago. The report noted.
Under the current temple Act of 1949, a state legislation, an eight-member committee comprising four Buddhists and four Hindu members takes care of the management and administration of the sacred shrine. The district magistrate of Gaya is the ex-officio chairman of the committee, while the member secretary is nominated by home department of the state government.
The petitioner are stated to be demanding that all members of the committee be from the Buddhist community, with the removal of encroachment in the vicinity of the Mahavihara campus.