AP News, December 7th, 2007
Authorities are investigating allegations that senior priests at Buddhism's holiest site chopped off a branch from Buddha's enlightenment tree, apparently to sell as souvenirs, a lawyer said Friday.
The incident in the northern town of Bodh Gaya allegedly took place in June when three men ordered a branch of the tree cut off, said Pranay Kumar Singh, a lawyer who has filed a complaint in a local court.
On Friday, the court in Bodh Gaya ruled there was enough evidence to proceed with a criminal case against the men, Singh said by telephone. But charges have yet to be filed, added Singh, who represents another priest at the temple, Arup Swami.
Singh said the suspects, who include the chief priest of the Buddhist temple at the site, planned to sell pieces of the branch to pilgrims, who are known to pay up to $10 for a single leaf of the tree that provided shade for Buddha's contemplation.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 15 in Bodh Gaya, which is located about 550 miles southeast of New Delhi in the notoriously lawless state of Bihar.
Court officials could not be immediately reached for comment, and the chief priest, Bhadant Bodhipal, said only that the case "has been filed at the behest of vested interests for petty gains." He did not elaborate.
Thousands of pilgrims visit the Mahabodhi Temple complex, a World Heritage site that marks the spot where the faithful believe that Buddha, whose given name was Gautama Siddhartha, attained enlightenment after intense meditation some 2,500 years ago.
