Hindu ownership battle at Buddhist pilgrimage site

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Hindu ownership battle at Buddhist pilgrimage site

The backstory: The Mahabodhi Temple of Bodh Gaya is located over 100 kilometres south of Patna, built by emperor Ashoka in 260 BCE. The temple site contains a sacred fig tree—thought to be a descendant of the Bodhi tree under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment. It is listed as a World Heritage Site.

As one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, the temple was managed by Buddhists until the thirteenth century CE. Then an invasion led by Bakhtiyar Khilji—general of Muhammad of Ghor—and rising conflict with Hinduism led to the broader retreat of Buddhism. (Bakhtiyar is also one of the villains in the RSS pantheon—accused of destroying Nalanda University)

Whose temple is it anyway? After the British arrived, the history of the temple becomes, well, contested:

According to UNESCO, the temple was largely abandoned for over five centuries until the British undertook its renovation.
But the temple website claims that it was maintained since 1590 by Hindus. A monk named Ghamandi Giri began living there—and established a Shaivite monastery called Bodh Gaya Math.
But in the late nineteenth century, Buddhist monks from Japan and Sri Lanka formed the Maha Bodhi Society—in a campaign to reclaim the site from the Hindus.

Enter Bodh Gaya Temple Act: After decades of stalled negotiations between the two sides during British rule, the Bihar government in newly independent India passed the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949. The law mandated that the temple be managed by an eight-member committee of four Hindus and four Buddhists. That law remains in place today, but the committee is now headed by a ninth member—the district magistrate (most likely a Hindu). But Buddhists allege that the Hindu-controlled Bodh Gaya Math actually runs daily operations at the temple.

What happened now: Since February, Buddhists have been protesting at the temple site, demanding the repeal of the 1949 act. They want temple management to be completely handed over to them:

They argue that in recent years, Hindu monks, enabled by the fact that the influence the community wields under the law, have increasingly been performing rituals that defy the spirit of Buddhism…

The protesters point out that the Buddha was opposed to Vedic rituals. All religions in India “take care and manage their own religious sites”, said Bauddh.. “So why are Hindus involved in the committee of a Buddhist religious place?”

FYI: the Buddhist campaign isn’t new—and includes a Supreme Court petition filed in 2012.

The Hindu comeback: The monks who run the temple claim—quite simply—that Buddha belongs to the Hindu pantheon. And Buddhists are lucky that Hindus are willing to give them any role at the temple:

“Our Math’s teachings treat Lord Buddha as the ninth reincarnation of [Hindu] Lord Vishnu and we consider Buddhists our brothers,” Giri told Al Jazeera. “For years, we have hosted Buddhist devotees, from other countries as well, and never disallowed them from praying on the premises.” Giri says the Hindu side has been “generous in allowing four seats to Buddhists in the management committee.”

Where we are now: On February 27, Bihar police removed over two dozen Buddhist monks—who were on a hunger strike for two weeks—from the temple premises. Since then, the protests have intensified. State elections are around the corner–which means the Hindu groups are certain to become more active and louder. The confrontation will most likely escalate.

Reading list: Sadly yet unsurprisingly, Indian media has stayed far away from this story—leaving Al Jazeera to do most of the on-ground homework. On an unrelated and happier note, be sure to check out the archaeological wonders of the Bodhgaya site over at the Harvard University website—and the reporting on the same in The Hindu.

A US confederacy of national security dunces

‘The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans’—that’s the headline of a piece by The Atlantic’s editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg. In an era of clickbait, this one truly lives up to its jaw-dropping headline. This is what happened:

On March 11, Goldberg received a connection request on Signal from National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. He was puzzled given he’s hardly a fave of the White House. Two days later, he was included in a Signal chat group called the “Houthi PC small group.” It was a top level group of officials assembled to discuss a pressing national security issue—on a commercial messaging app?! Think every office from CIA to the State and Defence Departments and office of the Vice President.

The TLDR: Then these officials had extremely sensitive national security discussions on whether to bomb the Houthis—or not—who are threatening to attack ships in the Suez Canal. These included insults hurled at Europeans—by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, no less—who texted:

VP [Vance]: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close.

But that was the least of it:

At 11:44 a.m. on March 15, Mr. Hegseth posted the “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing,” Mr. Goldberg wrote. “The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East.”

Happily, as a patriot, Goldberg did not publish those plans.

The very best bit: Of course, the White House and its supporters tried to dismiss the incident. But this bit of PR spin took the prize:

Brian Hughes, the National Security Council spokesman, said in an emailed statement. He called the [Signal] thread “a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials.”

Moral of this story: A***oles are bad for the planet. Stupid a***oles are even worse. The Atlantic (splainer gift link) has Goldberg’s personal account of this debacle. (New York Times, login required, CNN)

Content warning: The following item contains details of sexual abuse that may be difficult to read.

Gérard Depardieu’s trial: A #MeToo reckoning for France

French film icon Gérard Depardieu, 76, is facing trial in Paris for sexually assaulting two women during the 2021 filming of ‘Les Volets Verts’ (‘The Green Shutters’). This is the first time one of the 20+ accusations against him has made it to the courts.

The allegations: Prosecutors say Depardieu groped a set dresser on set—trapping her with his legs and touching her waist and breasts while making obscene comments. He allegedly assaulted a second woman—a 34-year-old assistant director—both on set and in the street.

Where the case stands: The two-day trial commenced yesterday—after being delayed due to Depardieu’s ill health. The verdict will be announced in several weeks.

Why it matters: This is France’s ‘Harvey Weinstein’ moment—when an untouchable film industry giant stands accused of repeated sexual abuse. But unlike the US, Depardieu has not been cancelled—and continues to work.

Point to note: Back in 2017—when the rest of the world was swept up in the MeToo movement—France mostly stayed on the sidelines. But at the 2024 Cannes, there were signs that the industry was finally willing to face its sins. The festival showcased a short film ‘Moi Aussi’ (Me Too)—directed by French actress Judith Godrèche—who was sexually exploited at the age of 14 by her director Benoît Jacquot. Since then a number of actresses have come forward with MeToo allegations—naming a number of famous directors.

Quote to note: The culture of sexual abuse within the French industry is especially nasty because it is romanticised as ‘art’—Hélène Frappat points out:

“This worldview is built on a scam,” wrote Frappat. “A scam for women, not for these so-called great creators who defend themselves by explaining that in France of the Nouvelle Vague a director must sleep with his muse in order to find inspiration. [In other words] our romantic vision is built on harassment.”

“I think many of these directors sincerely believe that such harassment, which can lead all the way to sexual assault, are products of [a romantic instinct],” she tells Variety.

The big picture: Depardieu’s trial comes on the heels of the singlemost horrific rape case in France—that of Gisèle Pelicot—who was raped by 51 men, aided by her ex-husband. The public mood is far less forgiving—and his fate may well prove to be the beginning of a paradigm shift.

Reading list: Associated Press offers context—looking at French society’s reluctance to confront abuse. The Guardian has a condensed rundown of the details of the case against Depardieu. Politico has more on the French effort to redefine its rape legislation. Our Big Story on Cannes 2024 and our headline on Gisèle Pelicot have lots more background.

The great langur scam of Kolkata

Researchers have discovered the ingenious tricks used by Indian monkeys to score food—by studying the Hanuman langurs near Dakshineswar temple. For starters, they make excellent beggars—deploying a variety of ‘weapons’ from hugging people’s legs to tugging at their clothes like guilt-tripping toddlers. FYI: They score 81% of the time. Contrary to fears of over-aggressive monkeys, “Aggressive begging through exposing teeth or voicing harsh barks while trying to touch people were rare and made up only about 1% of the total incidents.”

But the true genius of this temple food hunt is the collab between monkeys and humans:

The most effective begging method, however, was what the researchers have called “provocation-initiated begging” in which vendors around the temple urge devotees to feed the langurs while displaying food items on their carts.

The researchers observed that the langurs, upon hearing the shouts by vendors, would hurry towards people standing near the carts and display the gestures. None of the langurs snatched or stole food directly from the cart but insisted on begging.

The Telegraph has more on the study. Full disclosure we looked for clips of these clever begging tactics at the temple—and all we found were humans hand-feeding lazy little shits like this one lol:

what caught our eye

business & tech

DNA testing giant 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection—with CEO Anne Wojcicki resigning immediately—as the company prepares to sell itself under court supervision.
Apple is reportedly turning the Watch into an AI-powered gadget with built-in cameras, aiming to bring its iPhone-exclusive “visual intelligence” features to your wrist.
Sticking with the largest company in the world: It is shaking up its exec ranks to fix Siri’s AI woes, booting AI chief John Giannandrea from Siri development and handing the reins to Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell.

sports & entertainment

Disney’s live-action ‘Snow White’ stumbled with a sleepy $43 million domestic debut, while Robert De Niro’s mob drama ‘Alto Knights’ tanked with a disastrous $3 million opening.
Warner Bros is making a film starring Sydney Sweeney based on a creepy story posted on Reddit about a girl who fakes being missing to rob a family.
New York Times has a fascinating read on why Broadway tickets have become so outrageously expensive that many theater lovers are being priced out.
Werner Herzog—the legendary filmmaker behind ‘Grizzly Man’ and ‘The Wrath of God’—is making his animation debut with ‘The Twilight World’, based on his bestselling novel.
Former Bangladesh cricket captain Tamim Iqbal is on life support after suffering a massive heart attack during a Dhaka Premier Division match, with reports calling his condition critical.

Indian Premier League

Delhi Capitals pulled off a stunning heist in their IPL 2025 opener, chasing down 210 against LSG in 19.3 overs—thanks to a blistering counterattack from Ashutosh Sharma and debutant Vipraj Nigam.
MS Dhoni turned back the clock with a vintage lightning-quick stumping, leaving MI’s Suryakumar Yadav stranded and triggering a collapse in CSK’s IPL opener.

health & environment

Darjeeling’s Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park has become India’s first zoo to preserve DNA samples of snow-region wildlife, collecting 60 indigenous animal profiles so far.
Chennai authorities shut down an illegal animal exhibition at Island Grounds after discovering animals crammed into filthy cages, lacking health records, and subjected to stressful photo ops.
In another case of animal cruelty, customs officials at the Bangalore Airport busted a wildlife smuggling racket, arresting a Chennai man sneaking in siamangs and pig-tailed macaques from Malaysia.
The world's first case of bird flu in sheep has been detected in Yorkshire, England, but experts say the risk to the public and livestock is low.
BBC answers the age-old question of how often one should wash their feet—they’re a bacteria buffet, thanks to 600 sweat glands per square centimetre.
Another life hack: Science Alert brings you the all-important gyaan on how often one should wash their gym clothes.
Scientists say humans owe their flexible joints to a fishy ancestor, as jawed fish share the same type of joints with us.

meanwhile, in the world

The US and Russia have completed a 12-hour round of talks in Riyadh aimed at securing a partial ceasefire in Ukraine—without involving Kyiv in the conversation, yet again.
In a new bullying tactic, Trump threatened to slap a 25% tariff on all nations that buy oil and gas from Venezuela.
Turkey has arrested over 1,100 people—including journalists—as part of a crackdown on protests against the ‘politically motivated’ jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Foreign traveller arrivals are expected to decline by 5.1% this year due to the Donald’s policies, according to a new study.
An uninvited high-powered US delegation to Greenland—which includes Usha Vance—has enraged Greenlanders and pushed them closer to their former colonisers, Denmark. That's how Trump diplomacy wins!
Hamdan Ballal—a Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’—has been arrested by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank after he was assaulted by Israeli settlers.
Politico argues that by compromising with the Social Democrats’ party on fiscal policy, Germany’s incoming conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz has lost his leverage in coalition government talks.
South Korea's constitutional court has dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as the country's acting president.
Campaigning for Canada’s snap election—scheduled for 28 April—is officially underway. BBC News sets the scene.

meanwhile, in India

Kunal Kamra has refused to apologise for his joke on Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, saying he doesn’t fear "this mob."
But, but, but: The Habitat—the venue that hosted Kamra's special—has shut down indefinitely, calling the attack by the Shiv Sena youth wing a blow to free expression.
The Supreme Court confirmed the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to Allahabad HC amid an inquiry into a cash haul from his residence, triggering an indefinite strike by Allahabad High Court lawyers.
The managing committee chair of Sambhal’s Shahi Jama Masjid has been arrested in an alleged criminal conspiracy case behind the violence that broke out during a controversial survey of the mosque last November.

Three things to see

One: Get ready… we’re gonna make your morning. Behold Mamata-di jogging in Hyde Park—in her signature saree and chappals. The even funnier bit: the entourage of uncles in tow lol! FYI: She’s in the UK on an official visit aimed at strengthening Bengal’s ties with Britain. (The Telegraph)

Two: We Indians don’t just idolise our heroes—we literally worship them. Like this 18-year-old superfan who flung himself at Virat Kohli’s feet—during the IPL's opening match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens. He was arrested, granted bail but banned from the venue. You can watch a clip of the crazy stunt here—but the photo below better captures the level of cringe. (Indian Express)

Three: All set to make his Telugu movie debut with ‘Robinhood’, former cricketer David Warner recreated the iconic hook step from Allu Arjun’s film ‘Pushpa’—at the trailer launch.