Bodh Gaya in Bihar is a place of international interest due to its religious importance for Buddhists all over the world. More than 15 lakh people visit Bodh Gaya every year,but it does not get the care that it deserves. While the tree under which Lord Buddha is said to have meditated runs the risk of getting choked by marble tiles around it,three sites of historical importance around the Mahabodhi Temple face utter neglect. In 2005,an advisory committee of experts headed by a former director of the Archeological Survey of India,Jagpati Prasad,found that marble tiles around the Mahabodhi tree had been hampering growth of the tree and might affect its longevity too. This committee and the Forest Research Institute of Dehra Dun suggested immediate removal of the tiles. But the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) is yet to take any action. BTMC functions under the supervision of the state government and is chaired by the Gaya district magistrate. Arup Brahmachari,a local activist popularly known as Swamiji,says,I have written over 200 letters to BTMC authorities,ASI and many experts but that didnt help. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also instructed BTMC to remove the marble tiles but nothing changed. S K Manjul,ASI superintendent,Patna circle,says,We have just received a proposal from BTMC to carry repair at railings near the tree and inner recesses of the temple. But the proposal does not include removal of marble tiles. Arvind Singh,a state government nominee in BTMC,said the final decision on removing marble tiles was yet to be taken. The BTMC had a meeting last week and decided to discuss it with ASI and the Forest Research Institute and then take a final call. Two acres of land just behind the Mahabodhi Temple,part of Taradih village,were vacated for excavation by the ASI. The excavation,which took place between 1974 and 1980,threw up a unique combination of remnants from seven periods of history. Dr Rajiv Kumar,who has conducted research on the Buddhist sites of Bodh Gaya,says,As a student and Bodh Gaya resident,I had closely followed the excavation that revealed remnants from the Neolithic,Chalcolithic,Buddhist,Kushana,Gupta,Pala and the present period. ASI had to stop the excavation because of a fund crunch and hand over the site to the culture department of the state government. The site,now used as a dumping ground,has a plaque from the RJD regime that talks of development at the site. The Nitish Kumar government had released Rs 20 lakh for development of the site three years ago. The funds have been lying unused. According to the Gaya district administration,the development plan has not been charted out. The BTMC management says it has nothing to do with the site. Barely two km from the Mahabodhi Temple,ASI site Sujata Garh has a brick stupa,constructed in phases from the Gupta to Pala period. The stupa is named after the daughter of a village chief who is said to have offered milk and rice to Buddha before he attained enlightenment. The 11-metre stupa was opened to the public in 2008 after two rounds of excavations,first in 1973-74 and subsequently in 2001-06. Hardev Singh,ASIs attendant deployed at the site,says there is a need for a boundary so that bricks are not displaced. The site has caught the attention of visitors in the last two years. ASI superintendent Manjul says,We have planned to conserve the stupa in the current financial. We first want to fully acquire the stupa land before erecting boundary walls. A narrow lane from the Mahabodhi temple leads to a small temple,known as Vagdevi temple or Samadhi Sthal. The temple is said to have been built in 1590 by followers of the Shakta sect from Punjab. The temple has a Saraswati idol and a round platform. Mahant Sudarshan Giri of the local Sankar Math maintains the temple. Arup Brahmachari feels it could be developed if monasteries in the town spare some money for it. However,BTMC member Arvind Singh says the BTMC committee constitution does not provide for this. It is solely up to the private trust to look after it, he says.
