After 30 yrs, Buddha relics to travel to Thailand

by Parvez Sultan, New Indian Express, 21 Feb 2024

The last time the relics were taken out of the country was in May 2023, when they were exhibited at an exposition in Mongolia.

NEW DELHI, India -- Four bone fragments of Lord Buddha, also known as Kapilvastu Relics, presently kept in the National Museum, will be taken to Thailand on Thursday after about 30 years. They will be displayed in four cities including Bangkok and Krabi, where people will pay their obeisance to the sacred remnants.

The last time the relics were taken out of the country was in May 2023, when they were exhibited at an exposition in Mongolia. This year, for the first time, the relics of two chief disciples of the Buddha — Sariputta and Maha Moggallana from Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh — are also being ferried along with the cremated remains of Buddha.

Before the exposition, the relics will be kept safely at the National Museum in Bangkok for a limited period of quarantine. The venues have been finalised in consultation with officials of the Government of Thailand and the Indian embassy there.

About 22 Buddha relics were discovered during excavation at Piprahwa village in Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh in 1971-77. According to officials, 20 of them were loaned to the National Museum in Delhi and two were handed over to the Indian Museum in Kolkata.

“The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted excavations at Piprahwa between 1971 and 77, under the supervision of KM Srivastava, the then director (Archaeology). The excavation team discovered two inscribed steatite stone caskets containing twelve sacred relics from the bigger casket and ten sacred relics from the smaller casket,” said Govind Mohan, secretary, Ministry of Culture, while briefing about the travel schedule and significance of relics on Tuesday.

He further said that only four relics from the National Museum are allowed to send abroad. They were taken to Sri Lanka in 1976 and 2012, Mongolia in 1993 and 2022, Singapore in 1994 and 2007, South Korea in 1995 and Thailand in 1995.

The Kapilavastu Relics will be flown back from Thailand on March 19. Mohan said that the relics are being taken in a special Indian Air Force aircraft with an adequate number of security personnel. A delegation of about 20 officials of the culture ministry, other agencies and Buddhist monks will travel with the rare antiquities.

The delegation is being led by Union Minister of Social and Empowerment Virendra Kumar and Governor of Bihar Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

“We have long-standing ties with Thailand. Indian culture is visible in the nook and corner of Thailand. Apart from the fact that this is an initiative for the followers of Buddhism in Thailand, it is a big diplomatic win for us,” said Mohan.

Relics to be flown in special aircraft

This year, for the first time, the relics of two chief disciples of Buddha — Sariputta and Maha Moggallana from Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh — are also being ferried along with the remains of Buddha. The relics will be taken in a special Indian Air Force aircraft accompanied by a delegation of 20 officials.