UNESCO team in Bodh-gaya to assess the restoration of Mahabodhi temple

PATNA: A five-member team from the Unesco World Heritage Centre arrived here on Tuesday on way to Bodh Gaya to assess the restoration and management of the Mahabodhi temple. During its five-day stay in Bihar, the team will hold a series of meetings with the Bodh-Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC),Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Bihar government officials.

A joint ASI team from Delhi and Patna have already reached Bodh Gaya for a crucial meeting with Unesco team. Scientific anaylsis of the temple would be discussed with the Unesco team as regards what needs to be done to protect the world famous temple at Bodh Gaya.

A separate meeting would be held with the members of the BTMC as regards management of the temple affairs committee. The Bodh Gaya temple is under the direct control of the BTMC.

The Unesco team is likely to hold a meeting with top Bihar government officials including the chief secretary on February 25, the last day of its visit to Bihar. Besides the chief secretary, the team is expected to meet the HoDs of tourism, culture and urban development. During their meeting, the Unesco team is expected to discuss issues related to master plan of the town with state government officials.

The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the world for Buddhists this being the precise spot where Gautam Siddharth attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in the year 528 BC. In June 2002, the Mahabodhi Temple became recognised as a Unesco world heritage site.

Earlier, BTMC secretary N Dorjee and a member Mahasweta Maharathi received the five-member Unesco team four from France and one from Japan when it arrived here on Tuesday. The team then straight drove to Bodh Gaya. The team has gone top Bihar to review the Bodh Gaya temple not any other site, including Nalanda, said a source in New Delhi.

Read more: Unesco team arrives at Bodh Gaya – The Times of India

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