An article appeared in the Times of India on July 3, 2006, on this subject and for some reason I preserved the page, hoping that in the near future I would do some research on how much we have actually lost in terms of not only the Kohinoor which the British Government is still unwilling to return it to India. There are also possibilities of the treasures of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Chhatrapati Shivaji stored in British Museum – never to be displayed either in England nor will they be returned to India, the Country from where they were plundered.

In 2006 the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles decided to return Italian art objects that it had in its possession, back to the Italian Government – it was a noble gesture that showed respect for the cultural heritage of another country where it rightfully belongs.

More than any artifacts, the British took back home a large hoard of Buddha images ranging from the first to the twelfth century CE. If we turn the pages of history to the time of the ‘East India Company, ’who came to India in the year 1612 as traders and soon turned their attention to  collecting some of the finest Images which they took back as personal possessions. The ‘bounty hunting’ continued till the 1900s. One is not sure how much of the loot actually went to the British Museums and how many of these magnificent images still remain as heirlooms or are up-for-sale in Auction Houses. There is no way we can know. However we do know that in the ‘Reserve Stock of Antiquities’ preserved in warehouses – never to be seen by even the Britishers.

We would like to make the British Government aware that holding on to what is an integral part of our history is akin to stealing. Indians need to have access to their rich cultural heritage and no other country has any business holding on to it.

Do you think that the Government of India should actively campaign for the return of its heritage especially its Buddhist past which pilgrims coming to India would prefer to see in an Indian museum….or do you think otherwise? We invite you to give us your view.

Recent events over the last one year at the Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya has left me and a lot of other Buddhist pilgrims concerned about the honesty of the Temple Management Committee and as to why we still need the control of Government in the administration of the most important Buddhist site? One recent event has been the cutting of a healthy branch of the Bodhi tree, which, according to the media was sold for a fabulous amount of money to some person from an Asian country. Eventually the crime was detected and the officers of the Committee taken to task and finally sacked. A new Committee has been installed some months ago, no one is sure how honest this new team is or how well they will undertake the duty of preserving the Mahabodhi Temple, the Bodhi Tree or supervising that all donations made by devout pilgrims are used for the purpose and do not go into private pockets.

 There are many things that pilgrims wish were available on the premises of this holy Temple such as a branch of a Nationalized Bank where pilgrims could make a donation and instantly get a receipt and be assured that the money has been rightly accounted for. There are many things that need to be put in order here, including the myth of the health of the Bodhi Tree…the Buddha image within the temple or whatever else you have observed while on pilgrimage that needs to be put right. We invite you to express your view on this subject or anything else you feel is of importance and should be brought to the attention of others. We invite you to express your views not only about the Mahabodhi Temple but about anything else you would like others to know about.

Suresh Bhatia

Web Content Editor