Buddhist stupa to be moved from NM Petroglyph Park
Posted at: 09/24/2012 11:11 AM
| Updated at: 09/24/2012 6:19 PM
By: Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A Buddhist stupa has been ordered to be removed from New Mexico's Petroglyph National Monument.
The National Park Service said Monday that park service will remove the religious item from the park this week after getting an opinion from the Department of Interior's solicitor general. The solicitor general ruled last month that keeping the Buddhist stupa violates the Constitution on established religion.
The agency purchased the ten-foot structure containing Buddhist relics in 1990 after acquiring lands for Petroglyph National Monument. But the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility later asked the National Park Service to review the constitutionality of keeping the stupa and the federal land management policies.
Rick Frost, spokes for the agency, said the stupa will be given to the Buddhist community in Albuquerque.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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