Patna: Explosion of a low-intensity bomb near the Mahabodhi temple on Friday evening just as the Dalai Lama ended his discourse at the Kalchakra grounds again exposed security loopholes in Bodhgaya that was hit by serial blasts four-and-a-half years ago.

No casualty was reported in the blast at 4.45pm. Senior officials were alerted only at 9.30pm, as Governor Satya Pal Malik was in town. 

The bomb was planted near a generator set at a tea stall outside the World Heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara, around 250m from the Kalchakra grounds. Two more live bombs were seized from its vicinity - one from gate number 4 of the temple and one near a Sri Lankan monastery.

"An intensive search of the temple premises was carried out late on Friday night," deputy inspector-general (Magadh range) Vinay Kumar told The Telegraph on Saturday.

He added that the live bombs have been kept on the banks of the Niranjana river to be defused by National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guards experts. An NIA team has rushed to Bodhgaya and is expected to reach late on Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

"The blast occurred in a flask kept under a generator at a tea shop," said an NIA officer. "Police found some wires coming out of the flask. A team, comprising an SP and explosive experts, has been dispatched to ascertain the nature of the explosives." A preliminary report, he said, has suggested there were batteries and wires inside.

DGP P.K. Thakur said three suspects have been zeroed in on following CCTV footage obtained by police. An officer said two of the suspects are of Indian origin and another a Nepalese citizen. They were spotted entering the shrine at 4.10pm on the CCTV camera. Later, one of them - his face covered with a muffler - was also seen near gate number 4. "Prima facie, the intention was to create panic and not to physically harm any VIP or devotee," the officer said.

Additional reporting by Our Special Correspondent in New Delhi