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The Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BMTC) banned the use of plastic on the premises of the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar from January 23, 2026.
The step has been taken to ensure plastic-free premises of the site, where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under a peepal tree over 2,500 years ago.
The Mahabodhi temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It attracts lakhs of foreign tourists and devotees every year, including the Dalai Lama, who visits annually.
BMTC’s secretary Maheshweta Maharathi has appealed to devotees visiting the Mahabodhi temple to carry materials for prayers and offerings in environment-friendly cloth or paper bags in place of plastic. “We expect devotees and tourists to help us make Mahabodhi plastic-free. It is not only a place of religious faith but was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. It should be maintained according to international standards.”
The Committee has banned the use of plastic bottles, bags, packets and plastic containers on the premises for environment conservation and a pollution-free atmosphere.
Last year, BMTC issued a notification to reinforce its earlier decision to ban the use of plastic items in the premises of the temple. But the decision was not fully implemented. This is the first time the BMTC appears serious to implement its decision on the ground.
“BMTC has put a notice board at all entry points of the Mahabodhi temple with a clear message that it has banned the use of plastic in the premises. This is to let devotees and tourists know that they have to enter the premises of the temple without plastic,” a local administration official said.
Even security guards deployed at the entry gates have been directed to search for plastic items and not allow their entry into the premises of the temple.
Till recently, hundreds of tourists as well as devotees including foreigners used to carry materials for prayers and offerings in plastic packets, water in plastic bottles and plastic containers. These were dumped on the premises.
It resulted in increasing pollution, especially plastic waste.
A BMTC official said the move is a first step towards a plastic-free Bodh Gaya in the near future.
In 2018 the Patna High Court had directed the Gaya district administration to announce Bodh Gaya a plastic-free zone and then ordered the state government to take action on plastic pollution. But this directive was not implemented so far.
The Bihar government enforced a ban on production, import, storage and distribution of single-use plastic from July 2022. Violation of the law will attract penalty, fine and even a jail term under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, according to a senior official of Bihar’s environment, forest and climate change department.
But the reality is different. Nearly four years after the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) banned single-use plastic in most parts of Bihar including Patna and Gaya, there is rampant use of single-use plastic.
“Polythene use is rampant across the state. Its ban is only on paper as street vendors and shopkeepers including vegetable, fruit, sweets and grocery sellers have been using single-use plastic bags,” said former BSPCB Chairman, Ashok Ghosh.