The National Commission for Minorities Monday expressed "shock and deep pain" at the blasts at Bodh Gaya temple.
In a resolution passed by the panel, the commission's chairman Wajahat Habibullah and other members said the Bodhgaya temple was "among the most sacred sites for all Indians, whatever their denomination".
"It is from this location that sprang Lord Buddha's message of karuna (compassion), a mainstay of India's civilisation throughout the centuries through the teachings of Lord Mahavira Vardhaman, St. Thomas the Apostle, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliyah and Guru Nanak Devji, and revivified in our times by the father of the nation in his message of ahimsa," a statement from the commission said.
"The commission therefore stands with the nation in expressing its deep sympathies, particularly to the Buddhist community, and to the citizens of Bihar, but also appeal to those in authority to ensure that those responsible for this sacrilege are brought to account under the full authority of the constitution and the law, in the shortest possible time," he said.
Two Buddhist monks were injured in serial bombings in Bodh Gaya Sunday between 5.30 a.m. and 6 a.m. at the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi temple, annually visited by millions of pilgrims from all over the world, especially from Sri Lanka, China, Japan and the Southeast Asia region.
The temple at Bodh Gaya was built at the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment over 2,500 years ago. It was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2002.
