Minor skirmishes broke out Sunday over the issue between Buddhists and
Hindus gathered in Bodh Gaya, the pilgrim town 110 km south of this capital
city, where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment.

The occasion was Buddh Purnima, the full moon day when the Buddha is said to
have been born 2,546 years ago. The event is the most important on the
Buddhist calendar.

Buddhists from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India gathered
in large numbers at Bodh Gaya to celebrate. But they objected to Hindu
rightwing groups trying to portray Buddha as the "ninth incarnation of Lord
Vishnu."

But some say the real bone of contention between the two groups is control
over the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya.

In March, Buddhist monks at the historic temple kicked up a storm, demanding
that its entire management be handed over to them instead of being headed by
a Hindu.

Around 200 Buddhist monks encircled the 7th-century temple in Bodh Gaya and
sat on protest.

This month the All India Monks' Association asked Shankaracharya Jayendra
Saraswati of Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to intervene in the tussle between
Hindus and Buddhists over the control of the temple.

The temple ownership is vested with the state government while its
management comprises a committee of nine members nominated by the state
government, with a Hindu district magistrate as its chairman.

As per the 1949 Temple Management Act, a Buddhist cannot become committee
chairman as the post is reserved for a Hindu. If the district magistrate
happens to be a non-Hindu, the state government has to nominate a Hindu.

But a group of Buddhist leaders have accused the temple management committee
of indifference in the maintenance of the sacred place and demanded that
they be handed over control.

Hindu rightwing groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have
been opposing any amendment in the Temple Management Act as they see
Buddhism as part of the larger Hindu family.

Bodh Gaya remains the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centre, attracting
a large number of pilgrims and tourists from across the world.

The temple's main attraction is a 150-foot high pyramid spire at the site of
the Buddha's original Bodhi Tree, along with a golden image of the Buddha.