Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar (C) visits the Mahabodhi Temple following eight low-intensity serial blasts at the Bodh Gaya Buddhist temple complex, July 7, 2013.
Multiple explosions have hit the Bodh Gaya temple complex in eastern India, leaving at least five people dead.
The series of small blasts happened in quick succession early Sunday in the complex, which is located in the town of Bodh Gaya in Bihar State.
A senior police officer said a gate at one of the shrines was badly damaged in Bodh Gaya.
According to the official, four blasts took place on the campus of the Mahabodhi Temple and the Buddhist Great Awakening temple. Four other explosions were reported at the nearby Karma temple and a shrine with a 180-feet tall Buddhist tower.
There were few pilgrims inside the complex at the time.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly condemned the blasts, saying Å“such attacks on religious places will never be tolerated.”
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the explosions.
India’s Junior Home Minister R.P.N. Singh said that an investigation would be carried out to determine the perpetrators.
The Bodh Gaya temple complex attracts Buddhist pilgrims from around the world, especially from Japan, Thailand and Myanmar.
MSH/HJL
Republished with permission from: Press TV