Sri Lankan pilgrims can resume visiting Mahabodhi Temple now
Saturday, 13 July 2013 00:28
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Sri Lanka’s High Commission in New Delhi in a statement on Thursday said that the Mahabodhi Temple is now once again open to the public and Sri Lankan pilgrims, who were advised against visiting the Mahabodhi Temple in India following the series of blasts last Sunday, can visit the temple now.
“Having consulted all concerned, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India informs the Sri Lankan public that they may now resume pilgrimages to the sacred Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya,” the High Commission said.
Following the series of low-intensity bomb explosions at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya of Bihar state on 7 July, Sri Lankan authorities advised pilgrims to postpone their planned pilgrimages to Bodhgaya by one week to facilitate investigations into the attack and to allow time and space to review and strengthen security in the Bodhgaya temple complex.
It has since been established that there has been no damage to the sacred Bodhi tree, the structure of the shrine and premises or to sacred objects as a result of the blasts, and no Sri Lankans have been hurt.
The High Commission also stated that the authorities of the Central Government of India and the state of Bihar, in consultation with the Temple Management Committee, have established a security system that will provide for the safety and security of all pilgrims to the Mahabodhi Temple.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa immediately condemned the attacks at the sacred Buddhist shrine and instructed the officials at the High Commission in New Delhi and the Deputy High Commissioner’s Office in Chennai to dispatch a team to Bodhgaya to coordinate with authorities in India to ensure the safety and security of the sacred site as well as pilgrims, particularly from Sri Lanka.
Over 150,000 Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims visit the sacred sites in the state of Bihar every year.
