Spiritual leader Dalai Lama offers prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama offered prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya on Saturday.
The Dalai Lama used a battery-powered automatic car to commute from the Tibetan monastery where he stays to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mahabodhi Temple. The temple is located on a spot where Buddha is said to have achieved enlightenment more than 2,000 years ago.
The Nobel laureate was greeted by a large number of Buddhist monks and devotees along the way, and upon reaching the temple, he was escorted to the sanctum sanctorum by priests.
The Dalai Lama arrived in Bodh Gaya on Friday amid tight security. From the airport he traveled to Bodh Gaya under heavy security. A large number of people lined both sides of the road to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama as he drove to the Tibetan Monastery of Bodh Gaya.
According to the information from the district administration, the Dalai Lama will inaugurate the three-day International Sangha Forum 2023. The forum will be held on December 20, 21 and 22 at the Bodh Gaya International Convention Center.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will also attend the meeting on December 20.
On December 23, the Tibetan spiritual leader will participate in a World Peace Prayer Session with delegates at the International Sangha Forum in the morning, along with the audience at the Mahabodhi Stupa. He will teach for three days at the Kalachakra Teaching Ground from December 29 to 31.
He will attend a Longevity Prayer to be offered to him on the morning of January 1, 2024 at the Kalachakra learning field.
Tight security measures have been put in place for the Dalai Lama's stay, whose January 2018 speech was rocked by a low-intensity explosion.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: December 16, 2023 | 1:32 PM IST