Bodhgaya News

Eight Injured Including one Pilgrim in various Incidents
Bodhgaya, October 20, (Dainik Jagran). In various incidents in Bodhgaya on Monday eight people were injured including one pilgrim. The injured are being treated in Gaya private hospital.
Due to a Tempo going out of control and overturning near the Chinese Temple six Bengali pilgrims were injured. All the pilgrims were touring Bodhgaya in a Tempo. A female passenger Gita Mitro was sent for special treatment to a private clinic in Gaya and the other passengers were treated in Bodhgaya. After the incident the driver of the Tempo was able to successfully escape with his Tempo.
The second incident happened near the Tibetan temple were the child of a pilgrim from Orissa was hit by a scooter. In another incident a worker at the High school in the compound of Magadh university was driving a scooter which was hit by a Maruti car. He is being treated in Gaya.

Criminals assault three Japanese monks
PRANAVA K CHAUDHARY (Times of India)
[ MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 03:05:25 AM ]
PATNA: More than a dozen armed miscreants brutally assaulted three Japanese monks at Hachka village on Grand Trunk Road under the Gorhar police station in Hazaribag district in Jharkhand on Saturday night. They were returning to Kolkata after participating in the 34th anniversary function of the Vishwa Shanti Stupa at Rajgir on October 25. The miscreants also looted all their belongings, including cash and passport. [Full story on the Times of India website

[not a lot of Bodhgaya news recently it seems]

Bangkok Flight Does not arrive at Gaya Due to Lack of Passengers
Bodhgaya, 1 October (Dainik Jagran). Due to lack of passengers the Indian Airlines flight AC-729 did not come to Gaya from Bangkok on Tuesday. It is also known that Saturday's AC-730 flight from Bangkok to Gaya could not land at Gaya due to lack of night landing facilities. Supan Mukherjee, Indian Airlines official said that on 25th September only seven reservations were made. Arrangements were made to send these passengers to Calcutta to catch the flight. He said that it was known that this flight would be cancelled but next Saturday's flight would be on schedule.

Firing and Stone Throwing between Two Parties
Gaya, 29 September 2003 (Dainik Jagran). Firing and stone throwing occurred on Monday morning at Kendui on the Gaya to Bodhgaya road. Due to which traffic was held up for about an hour.
A dispute between the Dalit students of the Kendui Medical precinct and another community took a violent form. Both sides started to throw stones and whilst this was happening country made pistols were fired from both sides. The incident happened between eight and nine in the morning. Several people were injured in the stone throwing. The in charge of the medical precinct Mr Shiv Kumar Singh went to the site and took the situation under control. There is no news of anybody being arrested over this matter.

Pindadan offered in the courtyard of Buddha the Ninth Avatar of Vishnu
Gaya, 16 September, (Dainik Jagran). According to Hindu beliefs Lord Buddha is known as the ninth Avatar of Vishnu. Due to this the offering of pindadan is going on in the courtyard of the international heritage site at Bodhgaya of the Mahabodhi temple. Thousands each day are making offerings inthe temple compound and at the Muchalinda tank. more

Pitripaksha Mela overshadowed by Maha Kumbha Mela
Gaya, 15 September (Dainik Jagran). Five days have passed in the Pitripaksha Mela happening in the Northern Indian cultural centre of Gaya. The speed of pilgrims arriving in those five days has been fairly slow. It is believed that the reason for this is the Maha Kumbha Mela which is reaching its completion in Nasik in Maharashtra. The Gayapala Priestly community believes that this is the reason for the lack of pilgrims. Full story

Bodhgayanews hits around 146 pages a day more

Extremists Seize Vinobha Bhave's Ashram
Bankebazar, 8 September (Dainik Jagran). Vinobha Bhave's Savodaya Ashram called Latua in Bankebazar block is on the verge of destruction as it has been seized by extremists from the notorious MCCI organisation.
It is notable that eight km west of the block office in Bankebazar nestled in the hills is the village of Latua where the saint Vinobha Bhave came and established an Ashram. Mr Bhave managed to get around a thousand acres of land in this area redistributed to landless labourers. Along with this he got foreign aid in teaching the locals here about new agricultural techniques. Some years ago the foreigners left and the management of the Ashram was left in the hands of the head of the Bhudan sacrifice committee Mr Divakar. For some years he ran it as a charitable school. It is said that after his departure it has fallen into the hands of the MCCI. The Ashram has about 50 acres of agricultural land and five acres of Guava orchards. These fruits are now being sold by the MCCI and being looked after by the local committee of revolutionary farmers.

Absconding Master Crimminal Caught
Bodhgaya, 7 September (Dainik Jagran). Absconding and cunning crimminal wanted for Bodhgaya station case123/02 was caught on Saturday and sent to jail. The Police Station in-charge Devanda Mishra said that the crimminal was a resident of Pariaya village. He was concerned in several cases registered in the Bodhgaya police station.

Mother Goddess's Golden Eyes Stolen
Bodhgaya, 2 September (Dainik Jagran). Unknown thieves stole the golden eyes out of the image of the goddess on Monday night in the ancient temple of the Goddess situated in Pachheti suburb of Bodhgaya. According to information received about six months ago during restoration of the temple a devotee from the village had golden eyes fixed in the image.

Three Arrested with Buddha Image
Tankuppa (Gaya), 25 August (Dainik Jagran). Police arrested three people on Sunday night with an ancient Buddha image. This image was recovered in the village of Shahpokhar in the Fatehpur precinct. According to police sources during a raid on the home of K. M. Khalil and M. Vasir the Buddha image was seized. Police also seized a pistol and five live cartridges. The above mentioned were arrested. The arrested K. M. Khalil and M. Vasir gave indications which led to the arrest of Rajesh Mistri of Dumarichatti village.

Surendra Goes Home On an Elephant Gaya, 16 August (Dainik Jagran). The accused in the contraversial abduction of Atul Prakash and three police officers case former State Minister Dr Surendra Prasad Yadav emerged today from the Jail ward of the Hospital riding on an elephant. Mr Yadav got a bail warrant issued by Patna High Court on Thursday. He had been in custody for the previous two and a half months. Mr Yadav's procession emerged from the Jail ward of the Gaya Anugraha Narayan Medical College and Hospital at one o'clock and set off for his residence located in Chirayatand. Since Saturday there had been a celebratory atmosphere amongst his supporters in the grounds of the hospital. The city resounded to the sight and sound of his followers dancing to the playing of various famous bands and musical troupes. Accompanied by cavalcades of motorcycles and cars. Mr Yadav's supporters seated him on an elephant in the hospital grounds themselves. He was greated with garlands of flowers by various leaders including Shyamdev Paswan the MLA for Fatehpur, the District Council Chief Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav, alias, Bindi Yadav, and others. In order to complete the paperwork for his discharge from jail he arrived at the central prison at four o'clock, and after completing the paperwork went to his home. Thousands of his follows accompanied him following on behin him. The crowds of officials and MLAs wishing to give him good wishes on his release from jail had begun to gather at this home from early in the afternoon. For his supporters and the voters of the area arrangements for their food had been made in pavillions set up outside his home. Thousands of people enjoyed excellent catering. [the rest of the story is a list of people who congratulated him on his release.]

India to put a Space Craft on the Moon by 2008 New Delhi, 15 August (Dainik Jagran). The Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today made an announcement that by 2008 India would send it's first space craft to the moon, to be called Moon-One. Speaking from the parade ground at the Red Fort at the celebration of the 57th anniversary of Indian Independence he said that India had already started making preparations for this in the space sector.

[note: due to the new structure of the Dainik Jagran website I have to get to Bihar news via National news, so I may put the odd national story in which catches my eye.]

Scheme to put 'Dustbins' on platforms Gaya, 27 July (Dainik Jagran). In a scheme to move towards a neat and clean and beautiful station the railway has began an initiative. In this initiative around 70 large sized dustbins [note: English word 'dustbin' is being used here] will be placed around the station. The scheme is for beauty and cleanliness to display flowers and foliage in vases in them.
In order to stop refuse spreading around the platforms around 60 large sized dustbins will be placed. These will be used by passengers. This information was given by the railway district hospital which said that this work was being done by the health department. The sources said that an attempt was being made to make the platforms appear clean and beautiful. In this near to all the offices vases of beautiful flowers and foliage would be situated.

Accused Arrested in Dowry Murder
Bodhgaya, July 21 (Dainik Jagran). On Saturday night the Police arrested Babalu Sav the main accused in the village of Pareva in the Bodhgaya precinct Dowry Murder case and sent him to prison.

[Note: there has not been a lot of Bodhgaya news in the Dainik Jagran recently. Also the Jagran has recently changed its website to a database format which means all previous links no longer work to Jagran articles.]

American tourist robbed in Bodh Gaya Indo-Asian News Service Patna, July 16 (Hindustan Times). An American tourist, Ronaldo Varuno, was robbed of Rs 4 lakh on Tuesday afternoon by his taxi driver near the tourist town of Bodh Gaya in Bihar, police said. Varuno was travelling to Bodh Gaya, 110 km from Patna, in a rented Maruti van that he had hired from Hajipur in Vaishali district, police said. The American was in Bihar to visit historical sites connected to Buddhism. Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment 2,500 years ago in Bodh Gaya. A police official said that Varuno was robbed only off his money, his other belongings are safe, adding that they have sent a team to Hajipur to search for the van driver.

Policeman burnt to Death in Gaya, two killed, eight injured including seven soldiers.
Gaya, July 4. (Dainik Jagran).
In the extremist effected Paraiya district of Gaya on Wednesday night in a co-ordinated attack by the banned organisations The Maoist Communist Center and Peoples' War they burnt one policeman to death and riddled two others with bullets. In the violent exchange eight officers, one of whom was a watchman, were injured. The extremists burnt the police station down and a jeep and escaped with some supplies. [full story on Dainik Jagran]

Work on Revision of Electoral Register Begins in Bodhgaya Block
Bodhgaya, June 28. (Dainik Jagran).
The work on the revision of the electoral register in Bodhgaya block has begun again amidst an atmosphere of rising and falling expectations.
It is said that there has been an increase in the roughly 25 thousand voters of the block. A though investigation of which is being done by the block development officer. An order has been issued for all the 25 thousand voters to present themselves in order at the block office. Due to the inclusion of rural voters in this list there has been criticism of the block office.
It is said that in the last revision of the electoral register whilst sitting in the office the figures were adjusted so as to harmonise the increases. But due to the complaints at the election the procedure is now being done in an organised manner. Meanwhile some voters say that the register has already been revised on the basis of the 1995 register, and it is only natural that the number of voters should have greatly increased over such a long time. Especially in the urban area of Bodhgaya there has been a great increase.
Reliable sources say that some teachers have once more been appointed to make an entirely new register of voters. According to the block development officer Afaja-ul Rahmana the review work may be finished by the 7th of July.

Restoration Work on Mahabodhi Temple Halted for a fortnight
Bodhgaya, June 24 ( (Dainik Jagran).
The restoration works have been halted for about a fortnight on World Heritage monument the Mahabodhi temple situated in the tourist site of Bodhgaya.
The whole temple is being restored under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India. When the President of India visited on the 31st of May last the work was halted due to security considerations and the scaffolding around the temple taken down.
During the restoration work the exterior plaster of the temple is being removed and replaced with a new plaster made according to an ancient recipe. The restoration works are taking place after a gap of 47 years since the last time under the Archaeological experts supervision. The restoration work has been largely completed on the South side to the two small sub spires. It is noteworthy that the committee is spending about 40 lakh rupees on the restoration works. Two years were allotted for the work. But, it is possible that the work will not be finished during that time. The Temple Management Committee secretary Mr Kali Charan Singh Yadav said that within a few days work would be on again in an organised form.

I am like a true disciple of Buddha: Kalam
Bodh Gaya (Bihar), May 31. (PTI, via the Hindu): "Like a true disciple of Lord Buddha, I always crave for truth," President A P J Abdul Kalam told a group of Buddhist monks today during an interaction under the Bodhi tree where Prince Siddharth attained enlightenment to become the Buddha. full story

President comes as a pilgrim to Bodhgaya
Bodhgaya, May 31 ( (Dainik Jagran).
The President considered himself blessed to come here on Saturday when he fulfilled a longheld aspiration. He came himself in the form of a pilgrim to Bodhgaya. It was intensely hot, but without a hat or umbrella he walked around in the burning sun.
He entered the temple compound barefoot and went to the temple and worshipped sitting down in the inner sanctum. Like an ordinary pilgrim he sat in the shade of the Bodhi tree. In his own words he said he was moved by the splendour of the image and the temple. He felt moved. He chatted with the monks and laughter could be heard. He kept looking at the tree. He knew it was the tree where Siddharta got enlightenment. He kept rubbing his feet with his hands and several times closed his eyes as if in meditation. All was silent nearby and everything was peaceful. When he went to the Muchalinda pond he also seemed like an ordinary pilgrim and clapped with joy when he saw the fish in the pond. The fish were hungry and he fed them with rice. He swayed like a person full of joy. During his tour of Bodhgaya the President was like an ordinary person. There was not a hint of any pomp and circumstance during the visit.

[Interesting to compare with another take on the same story from the Dainik Jagran]

Like a Curfew at the scene of Peace
Bodhgaya, May 31 ( (Dainik Jagran).
The distict administration's security arrangements made the scene of the great peace resemble a curfew. Saturday may indeed have been the President's day but for tourists it made life very difficult. Even the media found it difficult to even get a drink of water. Whilst scores of locals stood in the burning sun for hours in hope of catching a glimpse. The Presidents helicopter arrived at 12.40, but all the shops on the route from the helipad to the temple were closed from 8am onwards. Perhaps this was done from the viewpoint of security, but the police were watching everything and people were not even allowed near the shops without identification cards. Due to this the entire area was deserted. All vehicles were stopped from entering Bodhgaya on both entrance roads at a distance of about 2 km. Pilgrims were also prevented from entering the temple from the morning on. You could say that nobody from outside Bodhgaya was allowed to enter it at all. Hundreds of people held on to hopes of seeing the President in temperatures of 43.7 people still came out of their homes. A few could be seen standing near the barricading by the helipad, but not a glimpse was to be had. The moment the helicopter landed the air was full of dust and the president got into his car and went straight to the temple.

Police Arrive in Bodhgaya to investigate abduction
Gaya, 13 June, (Dainik Jagran).
The Rohtas Police arrived in Bodhgaya on Tuesday night In connection with the investigation of sensational abduction of two gold merchants from Dehri-on-Son.
According to sources at the police station on the fifth of June at the house of the abducted gold merchants at 8.29 in the morning a call of 35 seconds was recorded from the phone booth outside of Magadh University in which a demand for money was made. The commanding officer of the Police station said that the Rohtas police had taken a print out of all the calls made that day from that phone booth. Due to a marriage taking place at the house of the booth operator he could not be questioned.

Motorcycle Passenger Killed in Vehicle Accident
Gaya, 9 June, (Dainik Jagran).
On Sunday night on the Gaya-Bodhgaya road in a collision between a motorcycle and a tempo one motorcycle passenger was killed and a second is in a serious condition.
According to police sources to the East of Bodhgaya near to the Burmese Vihar a red tempo went out of control and ran into a Bajaj motorcycle. The passengers on the motorcycle, Ashok Malakar an inhabitant of the Manglagauri suburb of Gaya and Jitendra Yadav were injured. For better treatment Ashok was referred to Patna where his death took place. One of Jitendra's feet was fractured in the accident. His treatment is being carried out in the Magadh Medical college and hospital.

Money Extorted from Small Shopkeepers on the pretense of contracting
Gaya, 7 June, (Dainik Jagran). Protection money is being extorted from the small shop keeper on the Godam road in Bodhgaya on the pretense that it is contract fees. The local administration is unable to stop this exploitation of the shopkeepers. The local shop keepers have made a demand that the excesses should be reigned in and the rates should be fixed by the local council.
On the Godam road from Gandhi Chowk there are all manner of small stalls. The shops here sell vegetables, cloth, make-up, shoes, brassware, etc. Most of the people setting up stalls are from local villages and traders from the market.
The stall holders say there are two officials who have been appointed to collect taxes from the stalls on the footpath. There are separate officers for the Sunday and Monday markets. Stall holders Sitaram Prasad, Makholi Devi, Ramaratiya Devi , Surayu Mahto, Ravi Kumar, Anvar, Rajiya Khatoon etc. said that the Bodhgaya local council has fixed a rate of two rupees a basket to be charged. But the contractors are extracting four to six rupees a basket. If the stall holders do not give in to the excessive demands they are beaten up. The foot path stall holders are demanding the local administration should take appropriate action to stop the excesses.

President Kalam visits Bodhgaya
Manuwant Choudhary Sunday, June 1, 2003 (Bodhgaya): (NDTV) President A P J Abul Kalam, also famously known an India's missile man, visited the temple of peace—the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya. He said it was his dream to visit the land where Buddha got enlightenment. But Buddhist monks remained skeptical. But President Kalam said he saw no contradiction in his past as a nuclear scientist and his passion for peace. "Today I have taken a vow to bridge all islands to create a spiritual island, something that Lord Buddha wanted," said the President. A missile man is not quite a man of peace, but that's exactly what President Kalam would like us to believe.

May 2003 Stories
April 2003 Stories
March 2003 Stories
February 2003 Stories
January 2003 Stories
December 2002 Stories
November 2002 Stories
October 2002 Stories
September 2002 Stories
August 2002 Stories
July 2002 Stories
June 2002 Stories
May 2002 Stories
April 2002 Stories
March 2002 Stories
Archived stories from 1998-2000