Dalai Lama arrives in Bodh Gaya after 4 years

December 29, 2016;

His His Holiness the Dalai Lama along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and monks from the Pali and Sanskrit traditions chanting prayers at Buddha Smriti Park in Patna, Bihar, India on December 28, 2016. Photo/Tenzin Taklha/OHHDL

Times of India, 29 December 2016

GAYA: Buddhist spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winnerDalai Lama arrived in Bodh Gaya after a gap of four years on Wednesday. A group of monks, attired in maroon robes, played musical instruments and welcomed the 83-year-old holy man near the Tibetan temple. Dalai Lama will lead the ten-day rigorous Kalachakra rituals, possibly the last such event to be held at the seat of Buddha’s enlightenment.

Earlier, on his arrival in Bodh Gaya by a chartered flight, Dalai Lama was received by Magadh range DIG Saurav Kumar, district magistrate Kumar Ravi, SSP Garima Malik and city SP Awakash Kumar.

The Kalachakra Puja is being held for the fifth time in Bodh Gaya. While the first one was organized in 1974, the fourth one took place in 2012. Only the Dalai Lama is mandated to perform the complex and rigorous rituals.

According to SSP Garima Malik, a massive drive has been undertaken to prevent the entry of miscreants and orders issued to detain troublemakers. “Hotels and guest houses are on police radar and strict instructions have been issued to hoteliers not to let anybody in without establishing his identity. All movements are being monitored through more than 100 CCTV cameras installed at almost all vantage points in Bodh Gaya,” she said.

The Tibetan temple, Dalai Lama’s local address for the next fortnight, has been virtually converted into a fortress with door frame metal detectors and armed cops encircling the entire area on a 24X7 basis.

Bodh Gaya Nagrik Vikas Manch chairman Suresh Singh said elaborate arrangements had been made for the Kalachakra Puja, but the pilgrims’ footfall was disappointing. “I’ll be happy if the final turnout is even 50% of the earlier estimates. Numerous factors, including the impact of notebandi, explicit hostility of the Chinese and non-cooperative response of the Nepal government, are responsible for the poor footfall. Unlike the previous events, very few tourist buses are arriving via Nepal,” he added.

On his part, the Dalai Lama, offered an olive branch to the Chinese on the concluding day of the Kalachakra Puja in 2012. The holy man’s recent visit to the north eastern states appears to have irked the Chinese.