By NewsGram Staff Writer

A temple official of Bodh Gaya today informed that India will gift a sapling of the sacred Bodhi Tree to China and Mongolia.

N. Dorjee, the member secretary of Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), said that the priests of Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi temple performed rituals before the sapling were sent to Delhi.

He added that a special prayer was organized in the holy premises of the Mahabodhi temple for the healthy growth of the sapling.

According to BMTC officials, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) had sent a letter, addressed to the Bihar government, asking for the sapling of the sacred tree.

A permission from home department of Bihar was requested, and after getting a clearance from there, the sapling were prepared out of the seeds fallen from the Bodhi Tree.

"A high level delegation of the Indian government would take the sapling of the sacred Bodhi Tree during their visit to China and Mongolia later this month and would be presented to the government there as a good gesture," said the chief monk of the temple, Bhikkhu Chalinda.

The Mahabodhi temple is a World Heritage Site where the Buddha attained enlightenment around 2,500 years ago. The sacred place is of utmost importance for the Buddhists. The devotees of Buddha revere not only the Bodhi Tree, but even its leaves are worshiped by them.

The Bodh Gaya temple is visited by millions of pilgrims annually from all over the world, especially from Sri Lanka, China, Japan and the Southeast Asian region. Till date, the sapling of Bodhi Tree was gifted to Sri Lanka, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Nepal and Bhutan.

Now gifting the sapling to China would definitely help towards improving the relation between the two countries.