Nepalese boy believed to be reincarnation of Buddha

Teenage boy has been locked in meditation, allegedly without food or water, in a Nepalese jungle for six months, and thousands have flocked to see him with some believing he's the Buddha reincarnated, police and media said Wednesday. Ram Bahadur Banjan, 15, sits cross-legged and motionless with eyes closed in a niche among the roots of a tree in the jungle of Bara, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the capital, Katmandu.

He's allegedly been that way since May 17, but followers have been keeping him from public view at night.

A reporter for the Kantipur newspaper, Sujit Mahat, said he spent two days at the site, and that about 10,000 people are believed to visit every day. Soldiers have been posted in the area for crowd control, officials said.

A makeshift parking lot and cluster of food stalls have sprung up near Banjan's retreat, an area not previously frequented by visitors. Many visitors believe Banjan is a reincarnation of Gautama Siddhartha, who was born not far away in southwestern Nepal around 500 B.C. and later became revered as the Buddha, which means Enlightened One.

But others aren't so sure.

Police inspector Chitra Bahadur Gurung said officers have interviewed the boy's associates about the claim that Banjan has gone six months without food or drink. Officers have not directly questioned the boy, who appears deep in meditation and doesn't speak.

"We have a team ... investigating the claim on how anyone can survive for so long without food and water," Gurung said.

Local officials have also asked the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology in Katmandu to send scientists to examine Banjan. Mahat, the journalist, said visitors can catch a glimpse of Banjan from a roped-off area about 25 meters (80 feet) away from him between dawn and dusk.

Followers then place a screen in front of him, blocking the view and making it impossible to know what's happening with him at night, Mahat said, reports the AP. I.L.