ABSTRACT
Since the time of the Buddha, both Hindus and Buddhists visited Bodhgaya. The Mahabodhi Temple and its immediate surroundings are the media for the performance of elaborate religious rituals by diverse groups of peoples to display their affection and reverence for the Supreme Being. The centre of the traditions whether for Buddhists or Hindus is the reinterpreted religious texts that have been compiled by people over centuries. Watson argues that pluralism, in fact, is ‘that the truth admits for more than one valid formulation’. This understanding of pluralism must have prevailed in Bodhgaya for centuries before the arrival of Dharmapala in 1891 since there was no recorded incident of conflict between Hindus and Buddhists for exclusive control of the site, and the Mahabodhi Temple and its surrounding places were always accessible to followers of either religion. Hindus and Buddhists have a sense of apprehension while they perform their respective religious rituals inside the Mahabodhi Temple complex.
