Rev. Danny Fisher

If you spend as much time on the Buddhist Channel as I do, then you’ve probably noticed all of the stories recently about scandals and controversies surrounding the management of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara. Blessedly, Reuters gets to the bottom of it all in a story published this morning and syndicated in media outlets everywhere.

Priests and monks allege that thousands of dollars in temple donations have mysteriously vanished, that a thick branch of the ancient holy Bodhi tree was lopped off and sold in Thailand in 2006, and that ancient relics have disappeared.

[...]

A police report obtained by Reuters accuses the three men of “nefarious activities” and asks for their private wealth to be investigated.

Witnesses questioned by police said the priest had ordered an employee to cut off “substantial parts” of the tree and take them to his home. The trio were also accused of selling off fallen leaves to pilgrims and pocketing the proceeds.

Former temple secretary Kalicharan Yadav denies the allegations, saying the branch was removed in 1978 when the tree was pruned, and said the charges against him were political, trumped up only after his party lost power in Bihar.

In addition, tensions between Hindu and Buddhist groups over control of the temple are aggravated by this shocking series of allegations.

The temple land has been owned by a nearby Hindu monastery for centuries, and the temple is managed by a committee where Hindus retain a majority over Buddhists.

But representatives of both religions stand accused.

Charges have been brought against the powerful former secretary of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee, a Hindu, as well as the committee’s former public relations officer and the former Buddhist chief priest of the temple.

The feature in Reuters is the clearest and most thorough treatment I’ve seen of what is going on in Bodh Gaya right now. I recommend taking a look at it.