Buddhism’s holiest site erupts in protests over Hindu ‘control’ of shrine

Protesting monks in Bodh Gaya, India, demand that a law that gives Hindus say in the operations of the Mahabodhi Temple be repealed [Mohammad Sartaj Alam/Al Jazeera]

Bodh Gaya, India — As he stood in a queue outside a makeshift tent kitchen for breakfast, 30-year-old Abhishek Bauddh could not help but reflect on the throngs of people around him in Bodh Gaya, Buddhism’s holiest site.

Bauddh has been visiting the town in eastern India’s Bihar state, where the Buddha gained enlightenment, since he was 15. “But I have never seen such an atmosphere. Buddhists from all over the country are gathering here,” he said.