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Buddhist monks in Bodh Gaya have strongly protested a Bihar government advertisement, which placed pictures of President Pratibha Patil and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar at the top and Lord Buddha's at the bottom. The monks termed the advertisement as disrespectful to Lord Buddha, adding that it hurt Buddhist sentiments.
The Buddhist monks staged a protest in Bodh Gaya and demanded action against the officials responsible for this lapse. The protest took place hours before President Pratibha Patil visited Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, official sources said.
It was under the Bodhi tree behind temple, considered sacred by millions the world over, that Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment about 2,550 years ago. Mahabodhi temple was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.
President Pratibha Patil is on a two-day visit to Bihar, her first since assuming office in July 2007. On Friday, she visited the remains of the historic Nalanda University.
On Saturday morning, the President visited the Vaishaligarh, Shanti Stupa and other historic sites in Vaishali district and the Sikh holy shrine Takht Saheb in Patna.