Lights off for eight Buddhist monasteries in Bodh Gaya

In protest, the International Buddhist Council, Bodh Gaya chapter, unanimously declared an indefinite closure of all monasteries, temples and institutions from Friday. Kiryen Lama, a Council spokesperson said the move makes a bad impression on foreign tourists and pilgrims, since they have been literally living in the dark since the power cut.

He alleged that the department officials are not bothered about the comfort of the foreign pilgrims staying at the monasteries. "We are not commercial organisations. Our monasteries run on donations and charity, but the department is adamant on charging the commercial rate from us. It's not legal," he said.

Om Prakash, another BSEB official, said that the monasteries owe the department around Rs 65 lakh. These include the Tibetan Dharamshala, the Japanese International Guest House, the Taiwan Temple and Dijokiu Japanese Temple.

Bodh Gaya is home to Buddhism's holiest shrine Mahabodhi Temple, where Buddha attained enlightenment around 2,550 years ago. It attracts thousands of foreign tourists, mostly from Japan, China, Taiwan, USA and European countries, and has 34 foreign monasteries.