Excerpt from The Budh-Gaya Temple Case: H. Dharmapala Versus Jaipal Gir and Others, (Prosecution Under Sections 295, 296, 297, 143& 506 of the Indian Penal Code)
The Deposition of Hevavitarna Dharmapala (Complainant), aged about 29 years, taken on solemn affirmation under the provisions of Act X of 1873. before me, D. J. Macpherson, Magistrate of Gaya, this 8th day of April, 1895.
My name is Hevavitarna Dharmapala, my father's name is Hevavitarna Appuhami. I am a Buddhist. My home is at Colombo in Ceylon. I reside at present in Mouzah Gaya, Police Station Gaya, Zilla Gaya, where I am Honorary General Secretary of the Mahabodhi Society.
I have several times visited the Temple of Mahabodhi at Bodh-Gaya. I first visited it in January, 1891. My object in doing so was to worship the Bodhi tree and also the image of Buddha that was in the Temple. The image was on the ground floor of the Temple. The tree is to the west of the Temple, and is perhaps 30 or 40 feet from the place where the image was. I did as a matter of fact worship on that occasion. I stayed on that occasion for two months at the Temple, putting up at the Burmese rest-house, which may be about 100 fathoms of 6 feet from the Temple.
My second visit was in July, 1891, and I stayed there about a month. I also worshipped there.
I again came in October, 1891, and stayed a few days, and also entered the Temple and worshipped.
Between that visit and up to February, 1895, I visited the Temple about seven times, and on every occasion I entered the Temple and worshipped there.
My visit in February. 1895, was on the 25th, in the morning. The last previous occasion on which I visited it was about a month before in January, 1895.
Question. - Had you any special object in visiting the Temple in January?
Answer. - Yes, I went with my mother and about 44 pilgrims - Singhales - from Ceylon. My mother and all these are Singhalese Buddhists. We went on that occasion to make offerings and to worship the tree and the Temple. I stayed on that occasion about two days. We went into the Temple then and made offerings of flowers and candles before the image of Buddha, and performed our devotions. These offerings are made to the memory of Buddha before the image.
When I went to the Temple on the morning of the 25th February, it was with the special object of placing an image of Buddha presented by the Japanese Buddhists on the altar of the upper storey of the Temple. The image was given to me by the High Priest of Tokio in Japan and the Buddhists of Japan. It was the High Priest himself who actually handed it over to me. Along with the image were given the paraphernalia of it. The image is a sitting one of Buddha. It may be about 18 inches high and 15 inches in width, and 10 inches in depth. It is made of Japanned sandalwood, gilded over. The paraphernalia given were brass lotus flowers standing on a vase, a censer, two candlesticks, and a certificate. The certificate purports to attest the antiquity of the image. It is written in the Japanese language.
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