In this brief report, I share some information and photos from my one month pilgrimage this year to Bodh Gaya, India 2025, of the following:
- Relics of the Buddha exhibition (1st -3rd February 2025) at the Maha Bodhi Vihara temple
- Meeting Bokar Rinpoche yangsi
- Chinese Buddhist Tradition gathering under the Bodhi tree
- Hunger Strike by local Buddhists protesting takeover of Bodhi temple by Hindu activitists
- Personal offering of new hand-drawn 17th Karmapa portrait
For other pilgrimage sites (such as Vulture’s Peak, Mahakala Cave and so on) I visited in Bodh Gaya in previous years, see the website Places/Pilgrimage and scroll down to the India section.
I have been to Bodh Gaya six times now, between the years 2005 to the present. As a place materially, there is huge and obvious poverty, lack of infrastructure, inadequate rubbish collection, child begging/destitution, many hungry, sick street dogs and so on. In addition, the mass provision of meat in restaurants/butcher stalls right next to the sacred Bodhi temple, was tragic indeed considering the Buddha himself had taught not to kill or eat animals, and something locals said had arisen due to Tibetans and foreigners’ demands for eating animals.
However, despite that, as a spiritual place of Buddhist pilgrimage and practice, and for the sheer life, vibrancy, warm-hearted bright smiles and kindness of the local people there, the abundance of fruit, vegetables, delicious food, flowers and more, there is no place on world like it. The Bodhi Tree Temple, its crown jewel centre, has a spiritual and secret power, that has more allure, depth and symbolism, than anything for sale. Priceless indeed. Thank you Bodh Gaya, neither words nor photos could ever do you justice, so a Namaste hand salute to you from the heart.
Music? Buddhist Theravada Pali Sutta chanting, Thank You for Hearing Me by Sinead O’Connor, and Die with a Smile by Bruno Mars/Lady Gaga.
-
Relics of the Buddha exhibition (1st -3rd February 2025) at the Maha Bodhi Vihara temple
When I first arrived in Bodh Gaya at the end of January 2025, before the Kagyu Monlam 2025 began, the Buddhagaya Centre of the Maha Bodhi Society of India, hosted a three-day exhibit of the Shakyamuni Buddha’s sacred relics, along with the relics of two of his main students, Arhant Sariputta, and Mahamoggallana. There was also a photographic exhibition about the significance of the relics and Sutta chanting by monks and nuns from Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions.
The relics have been kept there and a public exposition organised every year from February 1 to 3, so that a large number of Buddhist devotees visiting Bodh Gaya can have a glimpses of the relics. The relics were first found in Sanchi after excavations by the British, from where there were taken to London. From London, the relics were brought to Sri Lanka and from there to Bodh Gaya via Calcutta in 2006.
Here are a selection of photographs I took while there, sharing the blessings! For other research about the Buddha’s relics, see here and sources listed below.
2. Meeting Bokar Rinpoche yangsi
During the Kagyu Monlam 2025, I spontaneously “bumped into” Bokar Rinpoche yangsi under the Bodhi tree in the evening doing kora (reminding me of my spontaneous bumping into the younger Jamgon Kongtrul yangsi at Vulture’s Peak, Rajgir in 2006). Bokar yangsi was taking photos there with professional looking camera and a couple of monastic attendants. I shyly smiled and greeted him, thanking him for his teaching the previous day, which I had written up and published. He smiled and was very sweet and approachable. I asked if he was giving private audiences and he kindly told me his guesthouse location and when people could come for an audience in the mornings and evenings.
The following day I went to meet Rinpoche at his humble (non 5-star guesthouse) just around sunset and offered him a blue katag, donation and print of the newly commissioned artwork on Kagyu forefathers and female lineage teachers and consorts. Like Drupon Dechen Rinpoche did at Kagyu Monlam Thailand in December, Bokar Yangsi kindly accepted it and allowed me to take a photo of the offering together.
For my transcript and experience of Bokar Rinpoche’s first teaching on the Avalokiteshvara practice of Thantong Gyalpa at the Kagyu Monlam 2025, see here. For more on Bokar Rinpoche and Kālacakra, and my visit to Bokar Monastery and the Kālacakra stupa in Mirik, India in 2018, see here.
3. Chinese Buddhist Tradition chanting
The other event I spontaneously came across was the Chinese Buddhist tradition chanting under the Bodhi Tree, after the Kagyu Monlam had finished. Some Indians were assisting the Chinese groups assembled there, and it was great to see the two nations forming some friendship and harmony under the sacred Bodhi tree, which had been expertly documented in India, by the Chinese monk pilgrim, Xuanzang.
As I did not have a camera, and mobiles are forbidden inside the Bodhi Tree complex, I asked an organiser to send me some photos I requested she take, here they are below:
4. Buddhist ‘hunger strike’ at Mahabodhi temple
An indefinite hunger strike began on February 12 2025The All India Buddhist Forum, along with various Buddhist organizations, held a press conference at Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan, Karol Bagh, demanding the repeal of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949 and full control of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara to be handed over to the Buddhist community. It is a long standing demand.
The organisers are protesting that the Bodhi temple remains under the control of non-Buddhist administrators, which is seen as a historical injustice.
Since 26 November 2023 and 17 September 2024, the All India Buddhist Forum has organised peaceful protests, including a nationwide signature campaign and * more than 500 memorandums to the Chief Minister of Bihar, Prime Minister of India, President of India, Minority Minister of India, Home minister of India , Governor of Bihar, National Minority Commission of India . To escalate the movement, *an indefinite hunger strike will begin on February 12, 2025 (Magha Purnima).
In one news report, Bhikkhu Ratnadeepa, General Secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Bhikkhu Sangha and Chief Advisor All India Buddhist Forum, and various other Indian Buddhist leaders strongly demanded Buddhist management of Mahabodhi Mahavihara, emphasizing, “Mahabodhi Mahavihara is a global symbol of Buddhist heritage. Its sanctity and spiritual significance can only be preserved under Buddhist leadership. We call upon the Indian government to recognize this and transfer its management to the Buddhist community of India.”
5. Offering new artwork of the 17th Karmapa
Finally, a new hand-drawn artwork of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa (created by a very talented teenage artist I know well) was made and offered to a new cafe/restaurant in Bodh Gaya, one of the best places in town, for a peaceful, relaxing break with fresh cappuccinos, espressos, pizza, salads, pasta, Indian food, and amazing bakery of Brownies, cheesecake and more! Newly established by some kind, gentle and hip men from Ladakh, it was a haven right next to the temple for sure! However, as they only had one drawing of the 14th Dalai Lama on their walls, I decided to specially commission one of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa and offer it them for free. The teenage artist did it in the space of a couple of days too.
