Offended followers march out in support of the Karmapa

Gangtok comes on record for the Karmapa. An impromptu candlelight vigil at Gangok's MG Marg on 30 Jan 2011, Sunday evening

Even the young stepped out in Gangtok to join the vigil expressing solidarity with the Karmapa in Gangtok on Sunday evening.   

Monks march in a candlelight vigil in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, on 29 Jan 2011

GANGTOK/ BODHGAYA, 30 Jan:  Caught off guard by the viciousness with which national media has torn into the raids on the Gyuto Monastery by the Himachal Pradesh police since Thursday, supporters and followers of the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorjee, have now begun coming together in expressing their protest against the poorly informed media hysteria hounding their religious leaders. While hundred of devotees are reported to have gathered outside Gyuto Monastery to maintain a vigil there to record their feeling of offence over the manner in which the authorities and the media are handling the issue and to express their support for the Karmapa, in Gangtok this evening, an impromptu candlelight vigil was held at the Titanic Park in support of the Karmapa. A candlelight rally was also taken out at Bodh Gaya by monks and laity yesterday and repeated this evening as well.

A common thread running through all these people’s expressions has been the shock over the insensitivity with the issue is being reported by the mainstream media, with the devout reaffirming their faith in the Karmapa and condemning suggestions that he was a Chinese ‘plant’.

The Gangtok vigil had no organisers and was born on social media outlets like facebook and twitter and then spread through smses. At around 6 p.m. a sizeable gathering of equally offended people had gathered at MG Marg and soon a portrait of the Karmapa was brought and then followed computer print-outs announcing – “We strongly condemn ridiculous accusations against H.H, Karmapa”, “Karmapa is innocent”, “Karmapa is not a spy”.

Given the medium over which the gathering was born, most of those at the vigil in Gangtok were young people, but energised by the unanimous support they received and finding some comfort in coming together in numbers and proclaiming a common cause, the gathering at MG Marg today resolved to meet at Titanic Park every evening to sit in a vigil and record emotional support for the Karmapa.

At Bodh Gaya, thousands of monks from different monasteries from across the country took out a candlelight rally at around 8pm yesterday to counter the allegations levelled against the XVIIth Karmapa by the national media.

“We strongly object the allegations made against our Dharma-Guru, whatever the amount, it is not black money; It is the hard-earned money of the followers donated to a religious leader,” said a senior monk from Ladakh who was leading the rally.  

He added that 99 per cent of the world believes that He is the Karmapa and countered that the remaining non-believers were now collaborating to tarnish his image. “We are very hurt by the kind of things being said against the Karmapa without any evidence and how facts are being misrepresented to colour the minds of people. We will not suffer this without protest,” he said. 

His obvious reference was on allegations that the Karmapa was a Chinese agent. “How can one think like this when the Karmapa has been under Indian security all this while?” he questioned.  Anyone who has visited the Karmapa at Sidhbari has noticed the layers of security [with Indian paramilitary personnel] one has to go through and how details of every visitor are taken down.

The monk from Ladakh demanded that people who are “feeding” the media speculation should now be investigated.

The Bodh Gaya rally started from the Mahabodhi Mahavihara and ended at the Kagyu monastery with all the monks chanting “Karmapa Khenno” holding candles in their hands.

The rally was joined by the pilgrims, worshippers and monks from different states like Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim etc. including pilgrims from other countries.

As mentioned, a vigil is also being maintained outside the Gyuto Monastery at Sidhbari by the devout and the morning prayers there are receiving record gatherings.

Meanwhile, while speaking to journalists in Karnataka, the Dalai Lama vouched for the Karmapa’s innocence on all charges.