Indian Buddhist devotees protest against explosions around Buddhist temple

Buddhist devotees participate in a walk to protest against the series of explosions in Bodh Gaya, in Leh, India, Monday, July 8, 2013. Two people were wounded in the eight blasts that went off Sunday in and around the main temple complex in Bodh Gaya, the town where the Buddha is believed to have gained enlightenment. (AP Photo)

The Indian authorities said Monday they have detained a suspect in the multiple terror attacks that rocked a world famous Buddhist temple in the eastern state of Bihar Sunday, injuring at least five people, including two Tibetan monks.

Investigators have also released the close circuit television footage of the blasts and said that they are analysing the images of 48 hours in the run up to the series of eight blasts inside the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya town, some 130 km from state capital Patna.

“We have detained a suspect and are questioning him. We are also analysing the CCTV footage of the temple. We may release sketches of the suspect,” a police official said on condition of anonymity.

In fact, the first blast took place inside the Mahabodhi temple at 5:30 a.m. (local time) Sunday and was followed by seven successive explosions in the next 30 minutes. While four explosions took place inside the temple, the other four happened outside; another two live bombs were detected and defused.

“It was a terror attack. The National Investigation Agency ( anti-terror probe agency) has been sent to investigate the blasts, ” Indian Home Secretary Anil Goswami had said in the capital.

Activists of hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (or World Hindu Council) hold a banner and shout slogans during a protest against a series of blasts in Bodh Gaya on Sunday, in Ahmadabad, India, Monday, July 8, 2013. (Photo : AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

However, there has been no damage to the temple or its 1,500- year-old main shrine.

“I have seen the inside of the Mahabodhi shrine and it is not affected. The blasts took place outside the main shrine, including where there is a Japanese temple housing a big statue of the Buddha,” Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said after visiting the spot Sunday.

The Chief Minister had, however, refuted allegations that his state government had ignored the central government’s intelligence inputs on a possible terror attack at Bodh Gaya.

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have condemned the terror attacks, saying “such acts will never be tolerated.”

Meanwhile, a terror alert has been issued by the Home Ministry to eight major cities — New Delhi, Mumbai, the eastern city of Kolkata, the western cities of Ahmedabad and Pune, and southern cities of Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

The advisory says that special care needs to be taken to protect Buddhist shrines, places of worships and Tibetan settlement in the wake of clashes between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar.

The Mahabodhi temple is believed to have been built by Emperor Ashoka around 250 BC at the site where Buddha attained enlightenment. Millions of tourists and pilgrims from around the world visit the temple every year. <Xinhua/NEWSis>