DHARAMSHALA, July 17: Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, visited the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, target of the recent terror attacks and met with the two monks injured in the bomb blasts.
According to the Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration, Sikyong Sangay visited all the sites of the serial bomb blasts in Bodh Gaya, the place where Lord Buddha achieved enlightenment, and offered prayers at the Mahabodhi Temple for peace and calm.
On the morning of July 7, a total of ten bombs exploded within the complex of the two millennia old Mahabodhi Temple and at other locations, including the Tergar Monastery, the seat of the Gyalwang Karmapa in Bodhgaya,
The de facto Tibetan prime minister expressed deep sadness over the tragic incidents and called on Buddhists around the world not to be deterred by the attacks and continue to undertake pilgrimage to Bodhgaya.
As a mark of solidarity by Tibetans everywhere, Sikyong Sangay donated a sum of Rupees one lakh to the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee.
He also visited the two monks injured in the bomb blasts, a Tibetan monk from Nyingma Monastery and a Myanmar bandhe, at Patna Medical College and wished them a speedy recovery.
While addressing the media in Bodhgaya, Sikyong Sangay urged Tibetans and Buddhists to stay calm and remain peaceful by following the teachings of Buddha.
“We are thankful to the Central Government and the Government of Bihar for the security provided at the Mahabodhi Temple and express our full faith in the ongoing investigation of the serial blasts,” he said.
Following the attacks, the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile had written letters to the Indian Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Bihar and Himachal Pradesh, urging for a “heightened level of protection” to ensure the personal safety of Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa.
Speaking to reporters in south India, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had called the attacks “very sad” while noting that it could be an act of a “few individuals” and “shouldn’t be considered something serious.”
