| Thai proposal to redo Mahabodhi Mahavihara rejected |
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 |
PATNA: The Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), which looks after the Mahabodhi Mahavihara, the place of enlightenment of Lord Buddha, has turned down a proposal from a Thai organisation to redecorate the sanctum sanctorum of the main temple using gold and silver as this would not have been in keeping with the ancient architectural feature of this holy monument.
The Mahabodhi Mahavihara is an architectural tribute to the prince who abandoned his abode of Kapilavastu to lead a life of a hermit. It was under the Bodhi tree that he attained enlightenment and became Buddha.
The revered architectural genius of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara drew the attention of Unesco, which declared it as a World Heritage Site.
It was mainly due to this reason that BTMC refused to have any alteration done or to have any glittering superimposed structure in the background of the grand Buddha statue in the sanctum sanctorum, which is a typical feature in Thai temples. "The proposal by The Bangkok Entertainment Committee was put up before earlier management committees also, which almost gave a go-ahead to this proposal," said Mahasweta Maharathi, a member of BTMC.
The new BTMC, which was formed in June this year, rejected the proposal after discussions, holding that this would tamper with the sacrosanct, serene and revered existing architecture. The decision was taken with a view to maintaining the glorious ancient Indian architecture as well. BTMC stated that the proposal was not in consonance with the Indian architectural tradition.
According to sources, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which normally raises a lot of objections in such sensitive matters, allegedly showed a very casual approach on this vital issue and even approved the proposal.
Over centuries, this temple has been seen as an architectural marvel and a place of worship and spirituality for people cutting across caste, colour, religion and nationalities. The astounding simplicity of the arches in the sanctum sanctorum is reflective of the early Indian architecture and symbolic of the Buddhist philosophy. |
| posted by The Times @ 1:29 PM |
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