Maha Bodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gaya, India · 1949–1956
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24.69610°N, 84.99140°E
Key Facts
- ◆ Sangharakshita's first visit was in 1949 at the invitation of Venerable Sangharatana.
- ◆ Control of the Maha Bodhi Temple was a burning political issue; Sangharakshita wrote editorial campaigns in the Maha Bodhi journal on this subject.
- ◆ He protested the Sarvodaya movement's plan to build a 'Samanvaya Mandir' at Bodh Gaya and against renaming the town 'Sarvodayapuri'.
- ◆ Rajendra Prasad warned Valisinha he would personally counter any campaign for full Buddhist control of the temple.
- ◆ Dhardo Rimpoche was at Bodh Gaya as abbot of the Tibetan monastery during Sangharakshita's 1949 visit, though they did not yet meet.
“Bodh Gaya! Bodh Gaya! How many people have come to you in the course of ages!… I shall always remember how beautiful you were the first time I saw you, when my heart was young, and you made me your own!”
— In the Sign of the Golden Wheel
Source: In the Sign of the Golden Wheel
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