Foreign monasteries of Bodh Gaya violating norms to be demolished

07/03/2008

Patna, (Bihar Times): The Gaya Municipal Corporation has served ultimatum on more than a dozen foreign monasteries of Bodh Gaya for violating the building construction rules and the Master Plan. This includes Thai and Korean monasteries.

The Gaya district magistrate, Jitendra Srivastava held meeting with the representatives of foreign monasteries on Tuesday evening and explained to them the legal status. He also sought cooperation in implementing the Master Plan.

The Cooperation has fixed March 20 as the last date for voluntary demolition of these monasteries. After that day it would be left with no option but to order its demolition. The UNESCO has been pressing for the
implementation of the Master Plan ever since the Buddha shrine was included in the list of world heritage sites. As per the Master Plan there no new construction should come up in the radius of 500 metre of the outer wall of the Mahabodhi Temple.

Comment