Mongolian President visits Mahabodhi temple

Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga on Saturday visited the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya and offered prayers under the tree where Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment.

Khaltmaagiin was received at the Gaya International Airport by Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sharwan Kumar, official sources said.

From the airport, the cavalcade of the President and 72 members of his delegation drove straight to the Mahabodhi Temple amid tight security.

They offered prayers at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and meditated under the Mahabodhi tree, the sources said.

Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee member Arvind Kumar Singh said President Khaltmaagiin and those accompanied him were offered "Khada", Buddhist prayer shawl.

The Mahabodhi Temple, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site situated about 95 km from Patna, was built by Emperor Ashoka in around 260 BC.