Bomb Blasts At Buddhist Temple in India

India: Bomb Blasts At Buddhist Temple SiteSeveral popular shrines, including a UNESCO listed temple, are hit by eight explosions - no responsibility has yet been claimed.2:12pm UK, Sunday 07 July 2013 A series of small bomb blasts at one of Buddhism's holiest sites in India wounded two monks and sparked condemnation from the country's prime minister.
The entrance to a Budhist temple edifice at the Bodh Gaya temple complex was torn apart by the explosions.
A policeman stands by as a man speaks on his phone after the blasts.
An Indian security guard walks next to bloody footprints inside the Mahabodhi temple, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
An injured Buddhist monk arrives at Gaya Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College.
Broken windows at the Bodh Gaya temple complex.
Bomb disposal personnel recover an unexploded bomb from the great statue of Lord Buddha.
Indian security personnel inspect the site of an explosion inside the Mahabodhi temple
Bomb disposal experts display the explosive device recovered from Buddhist Tergar Monastery.
An Indian policeman looks at debris left after the low intensity bombings.
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EmailThere have been a series of blasts at three Buddhist sites in eastern India, injuring at least two people and drawing condemnation from the country's prime minister.

Multiple small bomb blasts hit one of Buddhism's holiest sites - the Bodh Gaya temple complex in eastern India - wounding two monks but the historic temple itself was not damaged.

Four blasts took place on the grounds of the Mahabodhi temple, or the Great Awakening temple, while another four explosions were reported at the nearby Karma temple and at a site with a 55-metre-tall (180-foot-tall) Buddhist tower.

Junior Home Minister R P N Singh said that no one claimed responsibility for the explosions and that an investigation would be carried out to find out who was involved.

But state police said they earlier warned officials that Islamic militants could target the site as revenge for Buddhist violence against Muslims in neighbouring Burma.

Officers said the blasts ranged from low to high intensity. He also said police recovered two unexploded bombs, which were defused in the area.

A Tibetan and a pilgrim from Burma suffered minor injuries in the blast at the Mahabodhi Temple and were taken to a hospital, senior police officer S K Bhardwaj said, adding that a temple gate was badly damaged.

Another explosion damaged an empty tourist bus parked near the Mahabodhi Temple, he said. The temple is a UNESCO world heritage site where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment.

There were few people at the popular pilgrimage centres, which were targeted for the first time, according to Mr Bhardwaj.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly condemned the blasts, saying "such attacks on religious places will never be tolerated".

The Buddhist sites attract a large number of pilgrims, especially from Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Burma, but the main pilgrimage starts in September.

Mr Bhardwaj said there have been intelligence reports about the possibility of attacks on the sites, but he did not give any details.