Buddha relics will go to Thailand after thirty years
After almost thirty years, four of Lord Buddha’s bone pieces, also known as the Kapilvastu Relics, which are now housed at the National Museum, will be transported to Thailand on Thursday. The holy remains will be on exhibit in four places, including Bangkok and Krabi, where visitors will be able to pay their respects.
The artifacts were last removed from the nation in May 2023, when they were shown in an exhibition in Mongolia. Along with the cremated ashes of the Buddha, this year marks the first time the relics of two of his principal followers, Sariputta and Maha Moggallana from Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, are being transported.
The artifacts will be securely stored in Bangkok’s National Museum for a brief time of quarantine prior to the exhibition. After consulting with representatives of the Indian embassy and the Thai government, the locations have been decided upon.
In the years 1971–1977, during excavation in Piprahwa hamlet in the Siddharthnagar area of Uttar Pradesh, around 22 Buddha relics were found. Officials said that two were given to the Indian Museum in Kolkata and that twenty were lent to the National Museum in Delhi.
“From 1971 to 1977, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) carried out excavations at Piprahwa, overseen by KM Srivastava, the director of Archaeology at the time. During a Tuesday briefing regarding the itinerary and importance of the relics, Govind Mohan, secretary of the Ministry of Culture, stated that the excavation team had found two inscribed steatite stone caskets containing twelve sacred relics from the larger casket and ten sacred relics from the smaller casket.
He went on to say that the National Museum is only permitted to export four artifacts overseas. They were brought to Singapore in 1994 and 2007, South Korea in 1995, Thailand in 1995, Mongolia in 1993 and 2022, and Sri Lanka in 1976 and 2012.
On March 19, a plane carrying the Kapilavastu Relics will return from Thailand. According to Mohan, a sufficient number of security people is accompanying the special Indian Air Force plane carrying the antiques. The rare antiques will be transported by a group of roughly twenty representatives from the cultural ministry, other organizations, and Buddhist monks.
Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Union Minister of Social and Empowerment Virendra Kumar are leading the delegation.
“Our relationship with Thailand is old. There are traces of Indian culture all across Thailand. In addition to being an endeavor for the Buddhist community in Thailand, this is a significant diplomatic victory for us, according to Mohan.
Relics to be transported in unique aircraft
This year, in addition to the Buddha’s bones, the relics of two important followers of the Buddha—Sariputta and Maha Moggallana from Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh—are being transported for the first time. Twenty officials would be traveling with the antiques aboard a specially designed Indian Air Force aircraft.
