The robed men fought on the issue of entitlement to the gifts.

GAYA: At least two monks were floored during a fistfight among the robed men in Mahabodhi Temple , the most sacred Buddhist shrine, on the issue of distribution of offerings made by the devotees. The incident took place on Sunday afternoon near the sacred Bodhi tree , the symbol of Buddha’s enlightenment and graduation to divinity.

The scuffle took place during a special prayer organised by Buddha devotees from Vietnman to mark the end of ‘Varshavas’ (rainy retreat) in which monks stay put in one place and offer meditation for three months during rainy season. The retreat ended today and the special prayer was organised to mark its conclusion. Monks were gifted robes and cash on the occasion. The robed men fought on the issue of entitlement to the gifts.

Confirming the incident, district magistrate Abhishek Singh who is the ex officio chairman of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee said that the culprits had been identified and a criminal case was being registered against the robed men.

Their credentials as properly ordained monks were being verified and the International Buddhist Council has sought CCTV footage of the incident to take disciplinary action in the matter. The DM did not rule out the possibility of the duo being impersonators. If the two were found to be properly ordained monks, the Buddhist Council would ensure their expulsion from the tribe of monks, said Singh.

This is not the first time that the monks have brought disrepute to the most important Buddha shrine. Several years back, Gyan Jagat, the then chief priest of the shrine mysteriously disappeared overnight leaving behind his belongings following the revelation that Gyan Jagat was impersonating as a Buddhist monk and he, in fact belonged to a non Buddhist belief system. Gyan Jagat continues to be untraceable since then.

Again, Bhadant Bodhipal, the then chief priest of the shrine was charged with illegal felling of the sacred tree branches and its subsequent smuggling. A criminal case was subsequently instituted against the shrine chief priest.

On yet another occasion, a priest was filmed stealing donation money. Several other such incidents have taken place involving the robed men.

