New Delhi, July 8: Buddhist leaders have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to take appropriate measures to protect the Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

They expressed deep anguish over the serial blasts at Buddhism’s holiest shrine and the Bihar government’s failure to provide adequate security to the centuries-old temple. “We request the Prime Minister to take up this sensitive issue with the Bihar government for their indifferent and callous attitude to protect the Buddhism’s holiest shrine by ignoring prior intelligence inputs about a possible attack,” said Kalyan Chaudhuri, former vice-chairman of West Bengal Minorities Commission.

In his letter, Chaudhuri, who represents the Buddhist community, condemned the blasts and criticised the Bihar government for their failure to provide adequate security to the shrine.

“It was an attack on messengers of peace,” he said.

In its letter, All India Bhiku Sangha, a national organisation of Buddhist monks, has written that the attack was an attempt to spread terror and create discord among Buddhists.

In his statement, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the head of Tibetan Buddhism’s Karma Kagyu sect, requested Buddhists to remain calm in this hour of crisis.

“This is the place where Buddhist pilgrims from India and the world over pay homage to Lord Buddha and his teachings. As yet we do not know why or by whom this sacred site was targeted. However, I am convinced that, as Buddhists, in responding to this situation, the best homage we can pay to Lord Buddha is to uphold his teachings on love and ahimsa (non-violence),” he said.

The National Commission for Minorities today passed a resolution expressing shock and deep pain at the terror attack at the shrine in Bodhgaya. In a resolution passed by its chairman, Wajahat Habibullah, the commission appealed to the authorities concerned to ensure that those responsible for this sacrilege are brought to book in the shortest possible time.