Thai devotees participate in their formal initiation into monastic life at the Wat Thai Buddhagaya Monastery, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, on 14 November 2026, in a ceremony witnessed by senior Buddhist monks. (Photo: NationPress/Suman Bhandari)
The Wat Thai Buddhagaya Monastery in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, hosted the ordination of Thai devotees into the Buddhist monastic order on 14 November 2026, drawing participants from Thailand to one of Buddhism's most sacred pilgrimage sites. (Photo: NationPress/Suman Bhandari)
A Buddhist monk shaves the head of a Thai devotee as part of the traditional pre ordination ritual at the Wat Thai Buddhagaya Monastery, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, on 14 November 2026 — a rite symbolising renunciation ahead of formal monastic vows. (Photo: NationPress/Suman Bhandari)
Buddhist monks simultaneously shave the heads of multiple Thai devotees in a mass pre ordination ritual at the Wat Thai Buddhagaya Monastery, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, on 14 November 2026, ahead of their collective initiation into monastic life. (Photo: NationPress)