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2006 Stories (44 items)
Bodhgaya Is To Host World Peace Ceremony
Bodh Mahotsav concludes today
Kagyu 24th Pooja for World Peace from today
Town buzzing with rumours about preparations for Buddhist
Festival
Multi-faith Conference on 2550th Anniversary of the
Buddha's Parinirvana
Temporary location for Vegetable market and footpath
traders
Long necked Buddha dispute
Bodhgayanews attracts 15,000 visitors so far
in 2006
Gandhi and Gandhigiri
Three Bodhgaya tales: Art and Business
Meaningful effort to tell the date of the enlightenment
from the sun's light
DM Inspects 'Buddha Enlightenment' Workshop
Tourist Season Knocks on the Door, Tibetans spread
out their wares
Foreign Tourists Enjoy Diwali
Audio files: Teachers Absent, Cloth Giving Ceremony
at Mahabodhi, Independent Tibet
Demonstration demands investigation into income
of NGOs
"Tourist Season Knocking on the door of Bodhgaya"
World Class Golf Course for Bodhgaya?
Bodhi Tree Branch Cut?
Drawings from a trip to India in 1977-78
Air and Noise Pollution Disrupts Daily Life
Pali Canon Now Available as Full Text Searchable Online
Database
No Progress despite formation of Town Council
Maitreya Project Not Coming back to Bodhgaya
"Officials jittery as CM arriving today"
Sita Becomes a Sati by jumping on Funeral Pyre
Police Fire on Unemployed in Bodhgaya, Dozens of Vehicles
Destroyed
Maitreya Project Back on the Books for Bodhgaya?
Govt to sign MoU for Maitreya project
"Bodh Gaya Nalanda Indo-Asian Institute of Learning"
to be built in Bodhgaya, or Vaishali, or Nalanda?
Plan to develop Bodhgaya as World Buddhist Centre
Bodhgaya Inhabitants Suspicious of Master Plan
Bodhgaya Master Plan to be implemented within
two months
Central Tourism Minister Inspects Development Works
Minister Prem Kumar Takes Refuge in Bodhgaya
Countless Artists Dance to the beat of attractive
'Light and Sound'
Bodhagaya to tap its feet to Foreign Musicans Tune
Perfect fusion
Japanese Concert? to be held at Bodhi Tree
New Bodhgaya University Planned
Subdivisional Commissioner holds meeting about
'Master Plan'
Bodhgaya Master Plan Rolls along
World Peace Cycle Tour reaches Bodhgaya
Angry Disabled people Burn Image of Health Officer
Bodhgaya Is To Host World Peace Ceremony
The Rising Nepal [ 2006-12-29
], By Ugen Sherab,
The World Peace Ceremony is a celebration of light within darkness
and darkness within light, which flows with a hopeful source for world
peace. As puja 'Nyingma Monlam Chenmo' begins from Jan.19 to 28, 2007
Bodhgaya, the holy site, scores symphony with colours and monks. The
beginning month of the New Year appears as the season of flavour considering
the big gathering of Dhamma devotees flocking to the holy city. Read
More
Bodh Mahotsav concludes today
Sahara Samay. Posted at Friday,
29 December 2006 20:12 IST, Bodhgaya, Dec 29: The Bodh Mahotasav today
concludes here after registering huge inflow of disciples from across
the world, Sahara Samay sources said. This year celebrations mark
the 2550 enlightenment anniversary of Mahatma Buddha. Read
More
Kagyu 24th Pooja for World Peace from today
Bodhgaya, 26 December 2006 (Dainik
Jagran). For world peace and prosperity the 24th Kagyu Monlom
pooja will be inaugurated by the 'Sholjung' pooja in the shade of
the sacred of the Bodhi tree situated in the compound of the Mahabodhi
temple on Wednesday. Concerning the pooja the Karmapa's secretary
Gompo Chering said that the 'Sholjung' pooja would begin at 5.30.
He said that under the auspices of the pooja all the Lamas and faithful
would take a vow to all day long do auspicious works so that this
might be established as a habit in life. Following that from six in
the evening there would be a special prayer ceremony inaugurated by
the head guru. Taking part in this pooja will be Jamgon Kontrul Rinpoche,
Kenken Yogjeen Thungu Rinpoche, Mingoor Rinpoche, Gyalsam Rinpoche
[and other people to numerous to mention:pgf]. He said that apart
from about a thousand Tibetan Lamas countless foreign tourists would
also be taking part in the pooja. He said that the pooja was being
done with the aim of benefiting humanity and in particular bearing
in mind those people who lived in the Bodhgaya area. Mr Chering said
that the Dharmaguru [i.e. head of the Kagyu lineage] had organised
two special groups for health and cleanliness. [report continues with
notes on how many butter offerings are being prepared and special
arrangements for the seating of international visitors have been made.
Furthermore the Karmapa has given special training to the monks in
Terga Monastery and on Tuesday scores of monks in traditional dress
performed and were inspected by the Karmapa himself.
Town buzzing with rumours about preparations
for Buddhist Festival
Bodhgaya, 16 December 2006 (Dainik
Jagran). As ever this year once again the government is to organise
a three day Buddhist Festival in the place of the Buddha's enlightenment.
This year the state has organised that in view of it being the 2550th
anniversary of the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana the proposed festival
should be special and on a high level. The dates of the Buddhist festival
have been announced by the state and district administration. Whilst
to ensure the success of the festival committees have been inaugurated
by the district administration. However, the progress in publicising
the festival is still slow. Due to which the local people and visiting
tourists are still unaware of the forthcoming program and have not
had a glimpse of the extensiveness of the three day program. There
are only ten days left till the program, but there are no banners
by the roadside and no signs or posters displayed.
Local people say that last year a fortnight before the festival signboards
and notices announcing the festival program were displayed in different
places along the Gaya to Bodhgaya road. But this time there is nothing.
Organisations for the international seminar are being made on the
level of the temple management committee. This has been organised
to add weight to the Buddhist Festival by the Temple Management Committee
on the 29th of December. The clear up and cleaning of the area for
the Buddhist Festival has been carried out by the local administration.
But work on the painting and restoration of the stage is delayed.
Multi-faith Conference on 2550th Anniversary
of the Buddha's Parinirvana
Bodhgaya, December 10 2006, (Dainik
Jagran). On the forthcoming 29th of December in view of it being
the 2550th anniversary of the Buddha's Parinirvana there will be a
multi-faith conference organised in the compound of the Temple Management
Committee. Under the auspices of the Bodhgaya Mahabodhi Temple Management
Committee well known participants from various religions will take
part. The conference will be inaugurated in the shade of the sacred
Bodhi tree.
Whilst jointly giving this information the Temple Committee Secretary
Dr. Kalicaran Singh Yadav and the Monk in charge Bhante Bodhipal said
that those who would be present would include: from the Hindu dharma
Swami Shankaranand of the Ranchi branch of the Ram Krishna mission;
from the Islamic dharma the former VC of Ranchi University
Prof. Seen Aktar; from the Jain dharma Sadhvi Dr. Samprajnaji
from Virayatana Rajgir; from the Christian dharma Benedict
Osta Archbishop of Patna; from the Sikh dharma Patna Gurdwara's
leader Gyani Ikbal Singh ji; and from the Buddha dharma the
head teacher of the Kagyu lineage the 17th Karmapa Ugyen Trinle Dorje.
It is possible that the conference will be inaugurated by the state's
governor R. S. Gavai.
Temporary location for Vegetable market
and footpath traders
Bodhgaya, 29 Nov 2006 (Dainik
Jagran). Bodhgaya's 'Buddha wisdom' vegetable market and footpath
traders will be provided within two or three days with a temporary
location by the district administration. The aforementioned decision
was taken by the District Magistrate at a meeting chaired by him on
Tuesday. The block officer Rakesh Kumar told the meeting that an empty
place on the east of the Kalacakra field was being made available.
Within a few days the vegetable market would be relocated there. He
also added that for the footpath traders who had been removed sites
have been identified alongside the Jayprakash Narayan garden compound
wall and on the northern side of the Tibetan temple. Which after a
few days would be confirmed and put into action. He said the site
of the Taxi stand would be changed. He said the situation is unclear
in relation to the rates to be realised from the relocated vegetable
market and footpath traders which would be clarified quickly. He said
the town council was presenting its claim to the eastern fringe of
the Kalacakra field. He said that in the meeting the District Magistrate
inspected the papers in relation the restoration of a tank on the
bypass road and carried out a site inspection. In the meeting were
present: the chief sub-circle officer, the town council head, the
deputy head, Jay Singh the head of the hotel association, the temple
secretary Dr. Kalicaran Singh Yadav, along with the leader of the
footpath traders association and the vegetable market union leader.
Long necked Buddha dispute
Bodhgaya, 14 November 2006, (Dainik
Jagran). A dispute arose on Tuesday about a long necked Buddha
image made by an artist working in the 'Buddha Enlightenment International'
art project. New Buddhists (Ambedkarites) declared the image to be
'insulting' (bigarne) and cloaked it in fabric. The workshop has been
running for the last twenty days in the Tourist Bungalow compound
and about three dozen artists from India and around the world have
been presenting work in it. Amongst the artists is Sanjay Kumar from
Sahebganj who made this image of the Buddha who has a fairly long
neck and holds a rosary in his hand. Crowds gathered to see the long
neck of this Buddha. But on Tuesday evening hundreds of new Buddhists
who had come to visit Bodhgaya objected to the image. They all said
that this was not an image of Buddha found anywhere. It was a joke
made by the artist at the expense of Buddhists. Whilsts the artist
claimed this was not his intention. He said clearly it was something
he had imagined and he had presented through the medium of art. If
anybody was offended by it he was sorry. Some dispute had already
arisen on Monday night about this, but this dispute had been raised
by Sanatanadharm followers (Hindus).
Bodhgayanews attracts 15,000 visitors
so far in 2006
Melbourne, November 11th 2006. (Peter Friedlander). I have been running
this site now for a few years and its great to see people still visiting,
and I think in every increasing numbers, October was the busiest month
this year with some 10,566 requests for pages. Remembering that web
statistics are a pretty vague science its notable that your visit
is one of an average of about 250 a day which the site is currently
receiving. Or to put it another way in 2006 so far around 15,000 people
have visited 20,000 times and viewed 40,000 pages. So whatever way
you look at it that sounds like a lot of people are interested in
Bodhgaya. So thanks for dropping by.
Gandhi and Gandhigiri
Melbourne, 9th November 2006, (Peter Friedlander). By some
odd chance I ended up doing a ten minute segment on a Radio Darwin
show today. Here are the notes I made up for that conversation.
Since the film 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai' was released on September 1st
2006 a new word 'Gandhigiri' has entered the worlds vocabulary. It
is an invented word, coined by Abhijaat Joshi, who was born in Amhamadabad
but is now an Ohio-based writer who penned the screenplay and dialogue
writer of "Lage Raho Munna Bhai". In Hindi words like Dadagiri
mean rule by the mafia (mafia dons can be called dada in Hindi) and
the ending -giri is often associated with gangsters. For instance,
when a peaceful protest in Delhi recently turned violent one press
article talked of it turning from Gandhi-hood back to thug-hood (goondagiri).
The film built on the success of an earlier movie Munna Bhai MBBS
(2003) in which the characters of a lovable gangster, Munna Bhai,
and his sidekick, Circit, were introduced. In that film Munna Bhai
tried to become a doctor, in this he tries to become an expert on
Gandhi. Media interest in the movie made for an explosion of interest
in Gandhi. One of the features of the movie is that it ‘re-brands'
Gandhi as somebody human and approachable, which is wildly different
from the general perception of him which has him as a kind of stuffy
father figure of the nation famous for his being an ascetic,puritanical
ideas. But in the movie he gives advice to Munna Bhai on his love
life, and inspires him to adopt non-violent methods to solve his problems,
the writer of the film comments that they wanted to promote the side
of Gandhi which was ‘witty, homorous and light-hearted'.
The success of the movie and the notion of gandhigiri has led to a
world wide movement and the establishment of several websites promoting
the idea of Gandhigiri, in the sense of following Gandhian principles.
One story speaks of Gandhi being ‘cool like never before' (NDTV).
However, under this umbrella there is a lot of stuff going on which
is using the word Gandhi than anything else. Some is related to Gandhi's
ideas of non-violent protest. These were influential on figures such
as Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement in the US . So
pretty much any non-violent protest could be described as an aspect
of Gandhigiri, and is in the press at the moment. Indeed, odd headlines,
like ‘Nuclear Gandhigiri' are appearing, trying to address the notion
of how there could be peaceful protests against North Korea 's nuclear
campaign. Or ‘Gandhigiri hits Hollywood ' which is a story about how
Angelina Jolie is working as a goodwill ambassadour for refugees.
( Washington Post).
On the other hand some people are taking up the particular form of
protest which is illustrated in the movie, sending flowers and get
well cards to corrupt bosses. For instance. Back on October 10th doctors
at the AIIMS in Delhi protested by sending flowers and get well cards
during the visit of the the health minister Anubamani Ramadoss's against
his lack of action during the recent epidemic of Dengue fever in Delhi,
in which more than 175 people have died this rainy season.
Current protests in Delhi also paint a picture of Gandhigiri in action,
and its problems. The Delhi Government has moved against shops which
were illegally built in areas not zoned for commerce and shut them
down and in protest the traders organised a Gandhigiri type protest
with sending flowers and get well cards to the administration. However,
when their peaceful protests did not work they also resorted to mob
violence to try and implement their aims, what one paper called Gandhigiri
turning into Goondagiri, with looting, burning of cars, buses and
general mayhem.
So while there is no doubt a great future for non-violent protest
along Gandhian lines whether the success of this movie will turn out
to have the impact that Gandhi's life itself did is something we will
have to wait and see.
Three Bodhgaya tales: Art and Business
Melbourne, November 11th 2006. (Peter Friedlander). There have been
a few stories about Bodhgaya recently in the Dainik Jagran. Some tell
familiar stories, for instance complaints about parking and traffic
chaos in the temple area, probems at the station in Gaya, some are
variations on common stories, like the one about the tourist season
below, some are new, like the idea of an art workshop. Here is a sample
from November 8th. Note that in the new form of Dainik Jagran Website
a fixed link to it seems to behave in an odd way, it links to a particular
story, but the related links on the page link to today's stories,
at least I think that is what is happening.
Meaningful effort to tell the date of
the enlightenment from the sun's light
Bodhgaya, November 8th 2006 (Dainik
Jagran). In the 'Buddha Enlightenment' workshop Gavoti of France
through his art is trying to prove the [date] of the 2550th anniversary
of the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha. Gavoti is trying to prove from
sunlight the date of when the Buddha got enlightenment. Gavoti said
that in his view Buddha got 'enlightening light' in Bodhgaya. He got
enlightened. Therefore I know no better topic than light. He said
that by knowing when the sun light was during the last two and a half
thousand years he could determine the date of the enlightenment.
Discussing the Buddha-land (Bodhgaya) Gavoti said that many people
had experienced spiritual enlightenment here and it had changed their
lives. He said that people can regard this as imaginary, scientific
or natural. But it was true that this land had some miraculous quality
which attracts people. Gavoti said in fifteen years of artistic travels
it was a happy experience to come to Bodhgaya and work with other
artists. He said that glimpses of various countries cultures could
be seen in India. Laughing he replied to some questions saying that
what could he say about that land which had given the message of peace
and non-violence to the whole world. [See next article to provide
context for this story -pgf.]
DM Inspects 'Buddha Enlightenment' Workshop
Bodhgaya, 8 November 2006, (Dainik
Jagran). On Tuesday the Divisional Commissioner of Magadh Division
Shakti Kumar Negi inspected the site of the 'Buddha Enlightenment'
workshop situated in the grounds of the tourist compound. The Divisional
Commissioner was welcomed to the worshop by the Director Sanjiv Sinha
and the organiser Ananjay Bhusana. TheDivisional Commissioner Mr Negi
carefully inspected the works created by foreign and Indian artists
in the workshop in the Sujata Vihar (The Tourist Bungalow). Mr Negi
had a heart to heart conversation with Brian Mulville (?) of the Royal
Academy Schools Gallery of London. After which he went to see each
of the works and artists in the compound. He expressed approval of
the art works. The Director Sanjiv Sinha and the organiser Ananjay
Bhusana said that considerable help had been given by the Divisional
Commissioner Mr Negi. Due to this the morale had been raised of the
artists, painters and organising team by the visit of Mr Negi.
Tourist Season Knocks on the Door, Tibetans
spread out their wares
Bodhgaya, 8 November 2006, (Dainik
Jagran). The tourist season has knocked on Bodhgaya's door and
on the eastern fringe of the Kalacakra field Tibetan merchants have
given new forms to their concerns. On the one hand the considerable
attraction for the tourists of the Tibetan refugee market has opened.
On the other hand nearby countless restaurants serving Tibetan food
are being set up. However, traditional minded [sanatan dharmi, could
also be understood to mean Hindu] people only venture into them by
mistake and it is only modern minded people who take tea and snacks
in them. But in these restaurants a great number of foreign tourists
can be seen. In the special 'Menus' of these restaurants are tea,
momos, batata [not a word I know, potatoes?, or a way of talking about
chocho?] and other things, which are awarded the title of tasty by
Tibetan and foreign tourists. Due to this the restaurants are crowded
until late into the night. Not only this but also the Tibetan intoxicating
liquid beverage 'Chang' is also much in demand. For the Chang drinkers
along with the Chang they enjoy watching English Medium TV in the
restuarants. Bodhgaya circle office workers say that in the tourist
season not only from the restuarants but also other businesses the
office gets a fairly good revenue.
Foreign Tourists Enjoy Diwali
Bodhgaya. (Dainik
Jagran) On Diwali on Saturday night at the International Tourist
Site of Bodhgaya local and foreign tourists let off lots of fireworks.
The scenes of firework displays could be seen a lot outside of hotels
where foreign tourists were staying. The letting off of fireworks
went on until late at night. Foreign tourists mostly let off colourful
fireworks or ones that spread coloured light in the sky, rather than
very loud ones. Foreign tourists staying in small hotels were guided
by guides in understanding the importance of Diwali and showed an
interest in letting off fireworks. However, several tourists were
also seen in the market who did not like the loud noises. They walked
around covering their ears. Several also showed their interest in
fireworks and let them off. Some foreign tourists eating in restaurants
also wished locals 'Happy Divali'!
Audio files: Teachers Absent, Cloth Giving
Ceremony at Mahabodhi, Independent Tibet
Melbourne, October 17. (Peter Friedlander) If you care to listen to
myself and Anandini Dar explaining how to read a Hindi newspaper story
then check out subfm
where you can listen to recordings of webcasts we have been doing.
Webcasts 20, 21, 22 and 23, which we did today all have Bodhgaya related
stories, along with other news stories. For a listing of the stories
we have covered see this page Reading
Hindi Newspapers.
[31 Jan 2007, Peter Friedlander, sorry these audio files are no longer
available you will find]
Demonstration demands investigation
into income of NGOs
Bodhgaya, October 16, 2006. (Dainik
Jagran).
Under the banner of a 'public protest' hundreds of people demonstrated
today and chanted slogans loudly near the Temple Management Committee
office demanding an investigation into the incomes and activities
of the scores of NGOs operating in Bodhgaya.
During the demonstration slogans against the DM were chanted. The
demonstration was led by Arup Brahmachari and Vijay Kumar. They said
that there are about six hundred NGOs in Bodhgaya which are snatching
foreign income in the name of the uplift of the poor. But the situation
of the poor in the area has not changed at all. They also said there
are institutions which oppress children and which have leaders who
are millionaires. Mr Brahmachari said that the institutions should
be investigated by the CBI or a retired judge.
"Tourist Season Knocking on the door
of Bodhgaya"
Melbourne, October 5, 2006. I noticed today that the Dainik Jagran
has updated the look of its website, you can see the new look here.
One of the stories today was about how preparations are being made
for the new tourist season in Bodhgaya. I discussed one of the stories
in a webcast today on SubFm,
and in a few days an mp3 of that discussion will be available on the
website.
World Class Golf Course for Bodhgaya?
Melbourne, October 4, 2006, In a story by Nirmala George of AP in
the Pittsburgh Post Gazette there is a great account of a visit to
Bodhagaya which includes the following. "A year-long celebration
of the 2,550th anniversary of the Buddha's death, called the Parinirvana,
began in May, but plans to gradually upgrade facilities will unfold
over 25 years. The detailed blueprint includes numerous luxury and
budget hotels around the Buddhist circuit. It also includes a world-class
18-hole golf course in Bodh Gaya and luxurious spas, said Manoj Srivastava,
who heads Bihar's state-run tourism development corporation. If that
seems odd logic -- bringing the hedonism of golf to a land steeped
in both spiritualism and poverty -- Srivastava disagrees. "While
Bihar's rich trove of Buddhist treasures serve the spiritual quest,
the average traveler is also looking to relax," he said."
read
full article.
Bodhi Tree Branch Cut?
Melbourne, July 24, 2006 (Peter Friedlander). A number of stories
alleging that a branch was recently cut from the Bodhi tree and sold
to foreigners recently appeared, and were promptly denied. On July
20th Hindustan Times carried this story as Branch
of holy tree chopped off in Bodh Gaya.An interesting take on it,
including a mention of selling a branch to a Japanese Tourist, and
that the demand for an investigation was made by Rabri Devi, ex CM
of Bihar appears in the Patna Daily of July 23rd under the heading
Conflicting
Reports on Mahabodhi Tree Status. Stories such as Bodhi
tree controversy from Time.now.tv also show how the story developed,
and those like No
damage to Bodhi tree: Govt, from DNA India show how it then fizzled
out. The Dainik Jagran Hindi reports were very similar and did not
seem to add much more. The Mahabodhi
Temple Site also contains, as of 21st July, an appeal for people
not to believe in this apparently completely unfounded rumour.
Drawings from a trip to India in 1977-78
Melbourne, Tuesday June 20th 2006. If you follow the link marked India
1977 to the right you will find some sketches from my first trip
to India. They don't contain images of Bodhgaya, but they do show some
of my first impressions of India almost thirty years ago.
Air and Noise Pollution Disrupts Daily Life
Bodhgaya, Monday, June 19, 2006 (Dainik
Jagran). After the formation of the new government in the state
the electricity supply situation has become a problem for people. Due
to the irregular supply the use of generators has increased. Although
there usage is mostly by richer families and government offices and
they are used in mobile towers [on trolleys?]. Due to this the air is
polluted and nearby people disturbed by the noise. Due to the lack of
regular electricity and the use of generators a new business has sprung
up. Those who run the generators are earning an income, but those who
live nearby are getting breathing problems and ear damage.
In several places in the town generators are being used in the open.
Due to which the people on the streets are afflicted by the noise and
exhaust fumes. The atmosphere is disturbed in the area. It is said that
there is hardly an area of the town where these generators and their
distribution wires are not to be found. Several luxury hotels in the
Bodhgaya market have open air generators which are in the vicinity of
the Mahabodhi temple. Sources say that the air near the generators becomes
like dark clouds. Despite the fact that senior local officials use this
route none of them has put a stop to this practice, whilst they have
held many meetings about freeing Bodhgaya from pollution and made many
big announcements about how they were doing this. These days it is also
the marriage season and up to late at night the air is rent by the sound
of fireworks. Also in Pacchatti area of Bodhgaya three mobile towers
have now been built where there is no electricity supply and so generators
run all the time and people in nearby homes are disturbed.
Pali Canon Now Available as Full Text Searchable
Online Database
Melbourne, Monday May 29 2006. (Peter Friedlander). I have put a digital
searchable version of the Pali Canon online at this url http://www.chaf.lib.latrobe.edu.au/dcd/pali.htm.
If you can read some Pali it means you can now search for all of the
early references to Bodhgaya (called "uruvela" in the Pali
Buddhist texts) and read about Bodhgaya two and a half thousand years
ago.
No Progress despite formation of Town Council
Bodhgaya (Dainik
Jagran Online Edition), Sunday May 28 2006. Despite the formation
of the Bodhgaya town council (literally the Bodhgaya Town Panchayat)
it has not been possible for there to be any development in the urban
areas. The fourteen representatives elected to the urban wards have
not been able to reach the expectations of the people. The complaints
of the people are being ignored, whether the matter is of cleaning,
drinking water or street lighting. Such matters can be seen in every
ward. Some wards of the town council seem like rural areas, they do
not like they are in an urban area. The inhabitants of these wards are
surrounded by dirt and deprived of electricity and drinking water.
The main road in Bodhgaya passes by the Kalacakra field. The street
lights erected on this street have been out of order for at least the
last month. There is utter darkness ('well [like] darkness'). Whilst
the local administration has allotted the land on either side of the
road for the footpath vegetable sellers market which has been evicted
from the Godam road [where it used to be in the town centre]. The market
used to be busy up to eight o'clock at night when it was in the Godam
road in the town. One reason was that there was lighting and electricity.
But after dark on the Kalacakra field it is utterly dark. Despite the
residences of most of the representatives of these wards housing, and
route to housing, being on this road. Even so it is like this. The state
of the street lighting is like this in several urban areas. Those in
the know say that for only a nominal cost the street lighting could
be fixed. By which adequate light could be cast on the streets. The
streets are swept in the urban area every day in the name of cleaning.
The Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee even provided a 'tipper-tempo'
to the town council to do the work. But there is a pile of rubbish by
the corner where the town council office is where everyday two-wheelers
are involved in accidents. The Town Council has not found it convenient
to throw out the dust. It is about four years since the Town Council
was elected and the representatives chosen. But the only drain in Bodhgaya
has not yet managed to be completely cleaned. There are continued encroachments
on the drain. Due to which the drain has been turned into a gutter.
[I.e. it does not drain.-pgf] Due to this there is a problem for the
dirty water to get out. The swamp of dirty water [i.e. sewage] on the
South and North of the Pacchatti suburb is a problem to its inhabitants.
Maitreya Project Not Coming back to Bodhgaya
Melbourne, Monday May 29th 2006, Peter Friedlander. I have now been
contacted by a number of people, in one way or another related to the
Maitreya project, who inform me that the newspaper reports of the Maitreya
Project coming back to Bodhagaya are incorrect. I have not put this
up before as I was waiting to see if any reports to this effect appeared
in the Indian papers, they have not as far as I have seen.
Melbourne, Sunday, April 23, 2006, Peter Friedlander. The Times of India carried a story by their reporter Abdul Qadir on Friday (link to the story here) which describes how in the run up to a visit by Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, on Friday local officials have shown worry about their implementation of the various schemes for the area.
The article ends by saying " Besides water, law and order, the tardy execution of the Bodh Gaya Master Plan and lack of efforts to promote spiritual tourism remains an area of concern, says activist Bhagwan Bhaskar. According to Bodh Gaya-watchers, the failure of the Nitish government to sack Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee secretary Kalicharan Yadav, the RJD activist whose appointment created a furore in Buddhist circles and Buddhist religious groups protested the decision and posted very unsavoury details about Yadav's past on the Mahabodhi Temple website, has come in for criticism from several quarters including the Buddhist clergy. ".
Sita Becomes a Sati by jumping on Funeral Pyre
Imamganj (Gaya), Sunday, April 23, 2006. (Dainik
Jagran Online Edition) In the village of Siddhapur in the Imamganj
area of the district Sita Prasad (77) jumped onto the funeral pyre of
her husband Sugreeva Prasad (82) and became a 'Sati'. The scene of the
event is in the State Legislative Assembly constituency of Uday Narayan
Chaudrya the head of the Legislative Assembly.
Sita's sons Ramashankar and Sanjay reported the event. The sons said
their mother was of a religious frame of mind and would go and listen
to sermons being preached in the area. On Thursday night after lighting
the pyre for her husband the family members all returned home and went
to sleep. Then Sita in the middle of the night went back the kilometre
to the burning ground and jumped onto her husbands funeral pyre and
committed suicide. It is believed that on jumping on the pyre she was
badly burnt. Due to it being night there was no uproar and she died.
In the morning her family members went looking for her, but in the meanwhile
a local person reported that there body on the funeral pyre had not
burned properly. Then the family arrived at the burning ground and seeing
the sight they were all speechless [aavaak?]. Sita Devi's body was lying
on the pyre. [Note: in this area of Bihar married women are all referred
to as Devi, 'goddess', so the sentence has two possible readings 'the
Goddess Sita's body… or Mrs Sita's body…:-pgf] The news of
Sita's becoming a Sati spread like wild fire through the area, several
possibilities are being talked about.
Police Fire on Unemployed in Bodhgaya, Dozens
of Vehicles Destroyed
Bodhgaya, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, (Dainik
Jagran Online Edition).
The situation become explosive on Monday in the stadium situated in
the Magadh University compound when in order to bring the situation
under control armed police of the Border Security Force fired several
rounds into the air to control the angry applicants for the authentication
of their certificates in relation to their re-instatement [perhaps:-recruitment]
into the armed Border Security Force. The enraged applicants set fire
to one bus of the State Transport Corporation and damaged dozens of
vehicles. In protest at the police firing the unemployed youths made
an uproar on the Gaya-Dhobhi road on Monday. Transport near the University
was blocked for hours. Under the command of the DM Sandeep Paundarik
and the Police Superintendent Dr. Amit Kumar the police and the semi-military
force brought the situation under control. Soldiers from the Rapid Action
Force were stationed at the site.
According to reports the applicants became angry due to so called highhandness
in the re-application procedures. Stone throwing began at the re-application
site due to which there was uproar. [The rest of article repeats this
in more detail followed by a statement from the DM Sandeep Paundarik
denying that any firing actually took place and blaming anti-social
elements for causing the riot, but the commanders of the police force
and BSF 'remained silent' when asked about this by the Jagran correspondent.]
Maitreya Project Back on the Books for Bodhgaya?
Melbourne, Monday April 17th 2006, Peter Friedlander. In another
development for Bodhgaya it seems that the Maitreya Project is coming
back to Bodhgaya, although the Maitreya
Project Website does not as yet carry this story. Also in the TOI
report, cited below, it is said to be 150 feet high, but in the publicity
related to the project it is still spoken of as being 152 meters high,
for the latest report on the project fund raising tour see Hawaii.Health
Guide.com.
Govt to sign MoU for Maitreya project
Sunday, March 19, 2006 01:52:53 am TIMES
NEWS NETWORK ]
PATNA: Good news for Bihar. The prestigious Maitreya statue project
has been shifted back to Bihar. The state government will soon sign
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maitreya project authorities
that will identify terms and conditions in the best interests of both
the parties, said an official. full story on the Times
of India website.
"Bodh Gaya Nalanda Indo-Asian Institute
of Learning" to be built in Bodhgaya, or Vaishali, or Nalanda?
Melbourne, Monday April 17th 2006, Peter Friedlander. In a report in
the Patna Daily further references to the University project announced
by the President of India are found. The Patna Daily writer Indra reports
that a new university is to be built and "An International city
on the line of Pondicherry can come up in the vicinity of Vaishali,
Rajgriha or Buddha Gaya." This sounds highly unlikely to me. Still
read the article and see what you think. Report on the Patna
Daily Website
Plan to develop Bodhgaya as World Buddhist Centre
Times of India, Sunday April 16th, 2006. The Times of India carries
a report today on the Bodhgaya redevelopment plan. The report consists
largely of statements made by HUDCO's Executive Director (Design and
Development) RK Safaya and seems to mesh to some degree with what the
Hindi language press is reporting, but also be a bit different. R.K.
Safaya is reported as saying that "all shops located outside the
temple walls be shifted to an area beyond one kilometre of the over
2000-year-old monument." and that "Commercial complexes are
being built right outside the one kilometre radius of the temple, which
have been designated as Nodes 1 and 2, where the shops near the temple
will be shifted." It will be very important to see how this plans
is implemented as it will clearly have an enormous impact on Bodhgaya.
Link
to the full story on the Times of India Website.
It is interesting to compare this story
with that from July 6th 2002, where it was specifically promised
that no building be demolished within the one kilometer radius, only
no new construction allowed. So what in the end seems to be happening
is just what was originally described in the Times
of India article of June 29th 2002 when the World Heritage Listing
was first announced.
Bodhgaya Inhabitants Suspicious of Master
Plan
Bodhgaya (Dainik
Jagran Online Edition, Thursday April 13, 2006).
After a delay of about two years work has begun at the suggestion of
the Central Tourism Minister for the all round development of Bodhgaya
according to UNESCO guidelines and the Master Plan. However, the inhabitants
of Bodhgaya are once more suspicious of this. The Central Tourism Minister
Ambika Soni arrived on a two day tour of Bihar to inspect all the tourist
sites. Arriving on Tuesday morning in Bodhgaya she gave an assurance
that all aid would be given for the development of Buddhist pilgrimage
sites. Apart from connecting Gaya city by rail routes with the North
Eastern and Southern States for the convenience of Hindu and Buddhist
pilgrims she announced several other development works.
The local inhabitants are astonished at the announcement that within two months according to the master plan business institutions and 'encampments' [housing?] are to be constructed at Node-1 [the riverside road beyond the high school.-pgf] and Node-2 [near the block office.-pgf] and the businesses running near the temple are to be relocated.
[I feel I have to comment on this because what it implies, I believe, is that the existing Bodhgaya village it to be destroyed, people's shops and homes are to be demolished it seems on an extensive scale and they are to be moved to new locations far from where tourists go and in the case of businesses which rely on tourism this can only spell disaster. Depending on how well, or badly, this work is done, and considering that it is all now to be done in only two months, the implications will have long lasting effects on the lives of the local people, particularly the poorer local people.-pgf]
At the request of the District Magistrate Mr Rehmani and other officials the Central Tourism Minister Mrs Soni declared that Kurkihar would be developed as a tourist site and handed over the responsibility for running the bus service from Gaya to Bodhgaya to the Bihar Tourist Department. [it is currently run by private buses.-pgf]
It is notable that since the 1990s there has been a lack of a lake to immerse images [after the festivals of Durga Puja etc.] and for the performance of Chatt Puja. This absence of a lake was drawn to the attention of Mrs Soni, and the Bihar Tourism Minister Nand Kishor Yadav by the secretary of the Temple Management Committee Kali Charan Yadav. Mrs Soni then indicated that Mr Nand Kishor Yadav and indicated that he should fulfill this demand. It is noteworthy that in the 1990s the then District Magistate Rajabala Varma banned the immersing of statues in the Muchalinda pond of the Mahabodhi temple. After that for the immersing of statues and the observance of Chatt Puja the Maya lake was restored. But after the [current] development works at the Maya lake it no longer has any water in it. Due to this for people in Bodhgaya and around it there is a problem about where to immerse statues. Nowadays in order to immerse their statues people have to go ten kilometers to the Jindapur village lake near Gaya town.
Bodhgaya Master Plan to be implemented
within two months
Bodhgaya (Dainik Jagran Online Edition, April 11th 2006).
Central Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said that the Master Plan for the
development in and around the World Heritage Site of the Bodhgaya Temple
will be implemented within two months. She said that limitless possibilities
for the tourist industry in the district. The Central Tourism Minister
Mrs. Ambika Soni was addressing a high level meeting in Bodhgaya on
Tuesday. Before this Mrs Soni carried out an on site inspection of works
being done by HUDCO in Bodhgaya.
The high level meeting was held in a hotel in Bodhgaya. There were discussions
on several points in the meeting relating to the provision of special
facilities for tourists in view of the 2550th anniversary of the Buddha's
birth, enlightenment and death. Central Tourism Minister Mrs Soni said
that plans for development in Bodhgaya would be carried through in an
integrated fashion during the next two months. Mr Soni announced that
she herself would be visiting again on the 1st of July to inspect the
works done in the intervening period. Mrs Ambika Soni announced funding
of two crore and 36 lakhs Rupees [around 700 thousand Australian dollars:-pgf]
for development of 85 business institutions in Node-1 [the riverside
area] and 185 institutions in Node-2 [near the block office], and apart
from this after the opening of the encampment [it is unclear to me what
parav refers to in this context, a temporary camp for the anniversary
celebrations?-pgf] there would be a formal inauguration. So that there
could be greenery and peace near the World Heritage Mahabodhi Temple.
[There is something missing from Hindi sentence it seems]. She said
that in view of the importance of Gaya and Bodhgaya the central government
tourism department would pay for the beautification of Gaya Railway
station. Along with that the central government would shortly put into
service direct train services from Gauhati to Gaya and Chennai to Gaya
to make tourism from convenient to travellers from not only South India
but also Sri Lanka and Burma and Bhutan. But, provision of the road
from the station to Bodhgaya, and bus services, would be the responsibility
of the state government. To make travel to and from Patna convenient
there would be a bypass built in Gaya on the Kundi Navada to Chandauti
road. She said that development works in Bodhgaya should be according
the guidelines laid down by UNESCO. For this reason she suggested establishing
a high level committee. To provide safety for the tourists and to make
staying at the Monasteries convenient Mrs Soni said in answer to a question
that tourist police had been formed in various parts of the country,
it was only in Bihar that it was left over, which depended on the state
government. She said that tourists could stay where they liked. This
was a personal matter for them. All that was left was the matter of
them staying in Buddhist Monasteries, and this was a matter for the
state government. It was the responsible of the state government to
raise state revenues. Mrs Soni said that in the current year the Central
Government had undertaken various measures to increase tourism. Under
this several airports in the country were being enlarged. She also said
that Gaya International Airport falls within this scope. For the development
of the airport the state government has asked for land to be made available.
In the meeting the HUDCO director of works, R. K. Safaya presented the
master plan and gave several bits of information. [the remainder of
the article consists of a list of names of those who attended the meeting.
Central Tourism Minister Inspects Development
Works
Bodhgaya (Dainik Jagran Online Edition, April 11th 2006).
The Central Tourism Minister Ambika Soni arrived on Tuesday morning
by train with departmental officials on a tour to inspect development
works. On arriving she changed her program from that which was predetermined
and started by cutting the tape to open the lake name Maya which had
been built at a cost of 1.5 crore rupees by the Tourism Department and
planting saplings of 'parijat' in the compound. Not even the high officials
of the district had been informed that this would take place. The first
stage of the 'uplift' works at the Maya lake has now been completed.
After this the Minister and departmental officials worshiped in the
central chamber of the World Heritage Mahabodhi Temple and at the Vajrasana
and toured the Muchalinda tank and the meditation garden. Whilst touring
the Mahabodhi temple inspected the works done in collaboration with
the Tourism Department and extensive information about the Heritage.
[note this does not make sense in the Hindi original either.-pgf] During
this the secretary of the Temple Management Committee, Kalicharan Yadav
directed her attention to the need to make convenient the routes for
going between the various Buddhist sites in the area. Dr Yadav gave
her information about the beautification works going on at the Kalacakra
field and its enclosing walls and the construction of the ring road
near to it, the proposed bridge over the Mahanama river on the route
to Buddhist site of Dungeshwari and the installation of a modern Hark
system at the Mahabodhi temple [a kind of thing where you hire a set
of headphones which have on them a guided tour of the sites around the
temple.-pgf]. Also, Professor Vijay Kumar Mithu, the head of the Rahul
Gandhi Message Program of Gaya gave a memo to her concerning the development
of basic infrastructure for tourism.
The Central Tourism Minister inspected the beautification works going
on at the Kalacakra field, the construction works going on at Node-1,
the Gaya-Bodhgaya river side road area, and thus reached the Archaeological
Survey of India Museum. Having inspected carefully the ancient remains
kept in the museum she made several suggestions. In the museum she said
that the holes in the compound should be filled up and the ancient remains
kept in the compound should be surrounded by chains to protect them.
Mrs Soni met with some Buddhist monks in the museum. Mrs Soni did a
site inspection of the construction works going on near the Block office,
the site of the proposed Node-2.
The Minister Mrs Soni in the afternoon inspected the uplift works being
carried out under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India
at Sujata's hut [the excavation and restoration work on a stupa in the
village of Bakraur on the other side of the river from Bodhgaya.-pgf]
and then went on by road to Rajgir. It is known that on Wednesday Mrs
Soni will meet with the chief minister of the state Nitish Kumar. From
the Mahabodhi Temple [management committee] she along with several other
officials received models of the Mahabodhi temple and khata [ceremonial
cloths given in Tibetan tradition.-pgf].
Minister Prem Kumar Takes Refuge in Bodhgaya
Gaya (Dainik
Jagran Online, 8 April 2006). It is the talk of the town in Gaya
that the District Water Minister Prem Kumar has taken refuge in a hotel
in Bodhgaya due to the campaign by angry protestors and town members
of parliament against the drinking water and electricity crisis in Gaya.
The Minister Mr Kumar arrived in the town on Friday. After taking part
in a program on Friday evening of the IMA [?] he went to stay the night
in a hotel in Bodhgaya. On Saturday he was not seen anywhere in the
urban area. According to information received he has a room booked at
the hotel Lumbini, in Bodhgaya, up to Saturday night.
Multiple Views: One Story
Melbourne, April 9th 2006. The following four stories represent three
views on the same event, as seen by the Jagaran over two reports, an
English language paper in Pune, and a monk based in Bodhgaya.-PGF
Countless Artists Dance to the beat of attractive
'Light and Sound'
Bodhgaya (Dainik
Jagran online edition, April 10, 2006 ). The Japanese Kosmo Peace
Project presentation of a concert 'To Save the Earth [English transliterated
into Hindi] for World Peace was completed on Sunday night on the Kalacakra
field in the sacred land of Bodhgaya. Preparations for the program had
been going on for over a week. Japanese, Chinese and Indian artists
dressed in traditional clothing performed their arts to the tunes played
by the famous artist Yasuhito Takimoto. The audience eager to see were
fixed to their seats during the performance. This was perhaps the first
opportunity to see Indian and International artists performing on stage
like this in Bodhgaya. This two hour performance was broadcast live
on several TV channels in Japan.
To begin with the Indian and Japanese artists, dressed in traditional
clothing, performed the 'plavar' [?] fan dance to seven notes while
acting out the scene after the birth of the Buddha. After than the dance
company from Pune performed a Kathak dance on the four scenes [which
led to the Buddha leaving home] and his departure from his home. After
than the Chinese artists performed a drama called 'King of lion' [?]
and a Chinese Opera about the Journey to the West [the account of a
Chinese pilgrims visit to India in the 5th century?]. Which is called
'thakpa thim' in Tibetan. [Sorry I really don't understand this article
very well.-PGF] In regard to which it is said that it represents how
when Buddha was practicing austerities he was menaced by various ghosts.
[remainder of story contains more details of the performance. There
was also a story the previous day about the dress rehersal.]
Bodhagaya to tap its feet to Foreign Musicans
Tune
Bodhgaya (Dainik
Jagran online edition, April 6, 2006 ). Several renowned Chinese,
Japanese and Indian artists will present a musical program on the coming
ninth of April on the Kalacakra field in the sacred land of Bodhgaya,
home to mercy, compassion, truth and non-violence. For the forthcoming
program on Thursday night the Kalacakra field was prepared with a stage
and lighting and amidst all of this the assembled artists rehearsed.
In view of the proposed concert preparations of the stage were being
made on a war footing.
According to information received a mission of about one hundred Japanese
artists arrived in Bodhgaya on Wednesday night. In this group artists
and assistant artists are included. Indeed, the famous Japanese artist
Yasu Hito Taki Moto [or perhaps Takimoto
Yasuhito see this article about this musician in Vietnam. -ed.]
has been staying in Bodhgaya since the fourth of April. Whilst select
artists from China and India will arrive late on Saturday night. The
proposed program of music and dance will last for two hours. For this
on the Kalacakra field as well as the stage already being prepared lighting
towers have been prepared under the supervision of Japanese engineers.
Along with this a black ‘baik skreen' has been errected on the stage.
For the audience some three thousand chairs have been set out in a gallery.
In it invitation cards for the guests will be laid out along with places
for people to sit. Whilst the audience will also take advantage of this
being a free concert.
In view of the forthcoming concert three splendid gateways have been
errected over the roads leading to the Mahabodhi temple, the Kalacakra
field and Bodhgaya entry roads. Whilst, the security at the Kalacakra
field has been put into the hands of a private security agency. [for
a different version of this story see the next article]
| Perfect fusion | ||
| Pune Newsline ( Friday , April 07, 2006 ) | ||
|
Using their creativity to promote the message of peace will be
the members of Maneesha Nrityalaya from Pune. The dance troupe
will be performing at the Maha Bodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, on April
9, in a programme that is dedicated to earth and ways of saving
it. |
Japanese Concert? to be held at Bodhi Tree
Melbourne, March 29, 2006. (Peter Friedlander). Ven. Prajnasheel Thero
has circulated an email about a proposed concert, if I understand him
right, at the Bodhi tree (read letter
here). I am not sure really what it amounts to other than the holding
of an event at the Bodhi tree which includes music and large generators
it seems. Hopefully in time newspaper reports will appear which will
explain what the event is and what makes it special. Certainly I cannot
recall large mobile generators being a feature of events near the Bodhi
tree, but large sound systems are often in place for teachings and Tibetan
monks often play, what seems to be music, around the Bodhi tree. This
seems to be a further case of a similar development, but this time involving
Japanese Buddhists?
New Bodhgaya University Planned
New
India Press.com, March 29, 2006. The President of India Abdul Kalam
has announced the establishment of a new University, to be developed
in collaboration with other Asian countries, to be called "Bodhgaya
Nalanda Indo-Asian Institute of Learning", as part of a scheme
to help in the development of Bihar. Read more in the New
India Press. [PGF:- There is no mention of how it would be funded
or where it would actually be, in the heavily Naxalite infested Nalanda
district? Not very practical I would suspect, or in Bodhgaya, then how
would it relate to Magadh University which is already in Bodhgaya?]
Subdivisional Commissioner holds meeting
about 'Master Plan'
Gaya, (Hindustan Times, Patna edition, 24 January, 2006, p. 5.). A meeting
was held in Bodhgaya on Monday under the leadership of the Subdivisional
[pramandaliya?] Commissioner Shakti Kumar Negi in order to settle the
objections of the people about the 'Master Plan' made by HUDCO
in the light of the directions by UNESCO. In the meeting HUDCO's head
architect R K Safaya, the assistant head of regional development for
Gaya, Suresh Singh of Bodhgaya citizen's Development front, Subhash
Varnval of the Business Council etc. were all present. It is known that
the plan prepared by HUDCO was presented to the chief minister [of Bihar]
on Saturday. It is to be implemented after the settlement of the public
objections received in regard to it. According to information received
about three hundred objections have been raised about it. Discussions
were held today about these objections. After the meeting concluded
development works managed by the centre in Bodhgaya were inspected by
Shakti Kumar Negi.
Bodhgaya Master Plan Rolls along.
Peter Friedlander, Melbourne, 21st March 2006. This is not a newspaper
article but rather some comments by myself, the person who erratically
runs this website. I was in Bodhgaya in January this year on retreat
at the Thai Temple and was able to get a bit of a sense of local feelings
about the development projects for Bodhgaya. Almost everybody I spoke
to had a sense that something was bound to happen eventually, and that
when it did they, small shopkeepers and local tradespeople would be
swept away in the developments. Nobody had the sense that the consultations
on the 'Master Plan' would mitigate its influence and everybody seemed
to think it was nothing but an excuse to develop the area for richer
sections of the community.
Indeed they seemed to feel that the English word 'master plan' was a synonym for demolition. Now I am sure that not everybody in HUDCO or the administration actually sees it that way, but it certainly looks like it to many people I spoke to. The scheme is, after all, roughly on the lines of demolishing the existing village around the temple and relocating it several kilometers away beyond the present block office. A number of people were worried that this would actually make the area around the temple less safe as well, if it was basically a park rather than a village, then it would be ideal for robbers and bandits to hang out in, something which that area of Bihar is not short of.
Although its not perhaps directly comparable I experienced something of parks around monuments when I went to Sarnath after Bodhgaya and visited the Chaukhandi Stupa site. I and my wife went in about 4.30 and at about 5.15 when we wanted to leave found that the gatekeepers had, without checking to see if anybody was in the compound, knocked off promptly at five and gone home having locked the gates. The problem was that they left us locked in the compound. Luckily some local children then showed us the place to climb out (and in) over the fence round the side. I wonder if the public servants looking after the proposed park at Bodhgaya around the temple would be any more inclined to look after the visitors than those of the ASI at Sarnath?
The other point might be to consider how such plans might be implemented in Bodhgaya. For instance at present in Bodhgaya it is clear that something has gone badly wrong with the traditional system by which water drained from Bodhgaya into the river. Now pools of stagnant water collect around the Pragya Vihar School, near the Mahayana Guest house and behind the Burmese Temple. Why? Because illegal constructions, mostly hotels have been built blocking the old drainage channels. So even though, no doubt, on paper Bodhgaya still has a working, if rudimentary drainage system, in practice it does not. There are countless local stories of such gaps between plans and realities. It is a well known story in the village that the hotels on the road that runs by the Thai Temple are all technically 'Temples' because they are built on a zone which is intended to be for temples or monasteries. So when you go into the hotels they have a shrine room in their lobby, thus making them technically a temple, with a hotel attached. Indeed I was told that almost every new hotel in Bodhgaya, and there are lots of them, is on paper a charitable religious trust. Whatever the truth of such stories may be, I certainly cannot say that they are all true, they show that many people believe there is a gap between the plans that officials make and their implementation. If this is true at present then how much more true would it be if Bodhgaya were to be comprehansively redeveloped. I tremble to think.
Finally, its now four years since I started this site, and Buddha willing I hope to keep it running a while longer. Enjoy, if you have not seen it before a rather eccentric mix of stories translated from the Hindi press and collected from different sources which illustrate the many facets of Bodhgaya. A place where every particle of dust must have a molecule of the dust the Buddha touched, but what else is mixed into the dust you really don't want to know....
Some more Bodhgaya stories from the Hindustan Times of Tuesday the 24th of January in which the main Gaya story of the day is how some prisoners at Gaya jail had managed to secretly dig a tunnel over a period of a month out of the jail and escape in a manner which reminded the staff writers of the film Sholay, and would remind most Westerners of the film the great escape.
World Peace Cycle Tour reaches Bodhgaya
Gaya, (Hindustan Times, Patna edition, 24 January, 2006, p. 3.). Under
the leadership of the Buddhist society a cycle ride by 48 people for
World Peace arrived in Bodhgaya on Monday after having left Sarnath.
There are 18 Korean students in the Cycle Party. This party left Sarnath
on the 18th January. Suresh Bodh gave information to this effect that
this party will organise a seminar on world peace at the Jvain Tugedar
Society [Centre] at Dungeshvari. Also taking part in the tour is the
Manoj Varma the state general secretary of the Farmers section of the
JD-U [political party] of Bihar.
Angry Disabled people Burn Image of Health Officer
Gaya, (Hindustan Times, Patna edition, 24 January, 2006, p. 5.).
[In brief ... an article about how an angry crowd of about 200 disabled
people burnt an image of the local medical officer in Bodhgaya as he
had been instructed by officials in Patna to carry out medical examinations
of them and issue them with papers identifying them as disabled. However,
when they came at the appointed time to see him he had suddenly 'gone
on holiday' and would not see them or issue them with any papers which
allowed them to get various benefits of being disabled. In this way
it seemed that the medical officer was able to avoid seeing them and
they lost their chance to have these benefits accrued to them.]
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