Buddhist Stupa To Be Removed From National Park Land Because of Constitutional Concerns

AP reported yesterday that the National Park Service has decided to remove a stupa (Buddhist reliquary) that has been on the grounds of Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico since 1990.  The decision comes after the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility asked the Park Service to review the constitutionality of keeping the 10-foot structure containing Buddhist relics on federal land.  The Department of Interior's solicitor general ruled that maintaining the stupa violates the Establishment Clause.  The stupa will be donated to the Buddhist community in Albuquerque.