The Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Buddhism’s holiest shrines, has been at the center of a prolonged dispute over its administration. The Bodh Gaya Temple Act of 1949 established the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), which comprises four Buddhist and four Hindu members, with the Gaya District Magistrate serving as the ex-officio chairperson.
The Act mandated that the chairperson be Hindu, a provision amended in 2013 to allow a non-Hindu District Magistrate to lead. However, Buddhist groups, led by organizations like the All India Buddhist Forum (AIBF), argue that the Act violates constitutional protections under Articles 25, 26, 29, and 30, which guarantee the right to practice and manage religious affairs without hindrance.
The movement to repeal the 1949 Act, often referred to as the Mahabodhi Mahavihar Mukti Andolan, seeks to transfer full administrative control of the temple to the Buddhist community. The campaign traces its roots to the late 19th century, when Ven. Bhante Anagarika Dhammapala initiated efforts to restore Buddhist control over the temple, which had been under non-Buddhist management since the 16th century.
In 2012, Buddhist monks Bhante Arya Nagarjun Shurai Sasai and Gajendra Mahanand Pantawane filed a writ petition (Civil No. 0380 of 2012) in the Supreme Court, challenging the Act’s provisions and seeking exclusive Buddhist management of the temple. Despite its significance, the petition remained unheard for over a decade, prompting Buddhist monks to undertake hunger strikes to draw attention to the issue.
On February 12, 2025, the AIBF launched an indefinite relay hunger strike, now in its 95th day, highlighting the life-threatening condition of the protesting monks. Advocate Anand S. Jondhale, President of the Buddhist International Forum for Peace, filed an intervention plea emphasizing the urgency of the situation, noting that the monks’ health was deteriorating and that further delays could endanger their lives.
