DHAKA: India’s Mahabodhi temple, one of the world’s holiest Buddhist shrines, is to have its dome inlaid with 300kg of gold donated by Thailand’s king and other devotees.

Officials said on Thursday, reports The Straits Times.

The precious metal arrived on Monday on a special flight from Bangkok and is under armed guard at the temple in Bodh Gaya, a holy town about 100km from Patna, the capital of Bihar state.

‘A 40-member team including experts and two dozen commandos from Thailand have arrived at Bodh Gaya with gold in 13 boxes,’ Arvind Kumar Singh, a member of the temple management committee, told media.

The gold would be worth around US$14.5 million at the current international price.

BDST: 1634 HRS, NOV 14, 2013
RoR/RK