Construction in progress at Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya. Picture by Suman

The serial blasts at Mahabodhi Mahavihara has prompted the authorities to build a wall around the shrine.

The 12-foot-high reinforced concrete cement boundary wall with a 3-foot-wide fencing over is coming up around the shrine.

The new wall is being constructed on the eastern and southern sides of the temple, following security concerns over the low height of the existing wall on the two sides. The existing boundary wall on the southern side is 5- foot-high and that on the eastern and other two sides 9 feet.

The existing boundary wall would be pulled down once the new one comes up. The new wall, running 550m along the eastern and southern sides of the shrine, is expected to be ready by August-end. Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited is constructing it with a cost of Rs 2.8 crore.

“Construction work began a week back. We were asked to build the wall on a priority basis. The wall is being built using reinforced concrete cement. A 3-foot-high fencing with barbed wire would also be provided over the wall to prevent trespassing,” said Mukesh Kumar, deputy general manager, project implementation unit, Gaya, Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited.

Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) is providing funds for building the wall. Nangzey Dorjee, BTMC member secretary told The Telegraph on Sunday: “Though we have a proposal for erecting the wall on all four sides, we want to increase the height of the wall on the eastern and southern sides immediately to strengthen security. Accordingly, work has started on the two sides and the front boundary wall would be taken up later.”

Dorjee also said plans are afoot to install more closed-circuit television cameras along the upcoming wall and watchtowers. The inner railing around the main temple and outer boundary wall, that came up between 1968 and 1986, have developed cracks at several places.

BTMC had sent the preliminary proposal for carrying out restoration work at the outer boundary wall around the shrine premises and the inner railing around the main temple to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 2009.

The ASI is believed to have recently agreed to take up renovation work on the inner railing. The work has to be necessarily done by ASI because the railing comprises several ancient Asokan pillars and stone sculptures, which are part of the original shrine structure.

ASI sources claimed that an in-principle agreement to restore inner railing has already been given by the ASI headquarters and it would take around one-and-a- half years to complete the work from the date of commencement.

Earlier, the ASI had confirmed that the world heritage site of Mahabodhi Mahavihara had not suffered any structural damage owing to serial blasts on July 7. Apart from the wall, a new drainage system would also be made inside the shrine premises by the corporation.