A series of explosions rocked one of Buddhism’s holiest sites in eastern India on Sunday morning, an attack that officials called an act of terrorism.
Two people were wounded in the explosions at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, officials said. Initial reports suggested that the 12-acre temple complex had suffered minimal damage. The soaring main temple, constructed in the fifth or sixth century, is near the Bodhi Tree, where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. The temple complex attracts Buddhists and other visitors from around the world and has been designated as a World Heritage site by Unesco.
“There was some damage to the staircases near the Bodhi Tree, and some windowpanes were broken,” Bhikshu Chalinda, the senior monk at the temple, said in a telephone interview from Bodh Gaya.
In New Delhi, Home Secretary Anil Goswami characterized the explosions as a terrorist attack, though investigators had not identified any suspects or possible motives, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/08/world/asia/explosions-rock-buddhist-temple-in-india.html?_r=1&