"Buddhist society founded in Sri Lanka in 1891 by Ceylonese monk， the Venerable Anagarika Dharmapala. The primary aims
of the Mahabodhi Society were， first， restoration of the Maha Bodhi temple at Buddha-Gaya， in North India （scene of the Buddha's enlightenment）; second， the revival of the BuddhaDharma in the land of its birth. At that time， Buddha-Gaya （or Bodh-Gaya） was in the province of Bengal， then part of British-ruled India. The temple was the property of a landowner， and was in seriously neglected condition. The Mahabodhi Society called a conference at Bodh-Gaya in October 1891 to enlist support of Buddhists in various other countries; in the following year publication of the journals The Maha Bodhi and The United Buddhist World began， which from then on played a not unimportant part in winning sympathy and support from English-speaking people in India and elsewhere. Opposition from both Hindu landowners and British authorities， however， was such that a lengthy process of legal action became necessary， which ended only with India's independence from British rule and the passing by the new Government of Bihar of the Buddha-Gaya Temple Act in 1949， under terms of which a temple management committee， （consisting of 4 Buddhist and 4 Hindu members （with the District Magistrate of Gaya， a Hindu， as ex-officio chairman））， was entrusted with the care and control of the temple. By this time the Mahabodhi Society had gained considerable support in India and elsewhere. Its journal published in English， The Maha Bodhi， circulates throughout the world."
New Development
A movement to free the Temple Management Committee from non-Buddhist influence by amending the Buddha-Gaya Temple Act has been gathering momentum for a number of years. It appears to have achieved a modicum of success recently under the leadership of an Indian monk of Japanese descent who received his religious training in Thailand. The aim is to have temple affairs invested mainly in Buddhist hands， albeit for the benefit of Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.