“…The Sakyans of Kapilavatthu also heard that the Buddha had become fully quenched at Kusinārā. They sent an envoy to the Mallas of Kusinārā: “The Buddha was our foremost relative. We too deserve a share of the Buddha’s relics. We will build a monument for them and conduct a memorial service…”

(Mahaparinibbanasutta)

Visited the exquisite and very impressively curated, world class exhibition: “The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One”, inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Rai Pithora Cultural Complex on 3 January, 2026. The special attraction of the exposition are the Piprahwa Gem Relics, excavated in Piprahwa, UP, in 1898 and repatriated to India after 127 years, under the direction and deft leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi. It is unarguably one of the greatest feats in the annals of independent India and in the history of Buddhism in recent times. An acheivement akin to Asoka’s restoration of Buddha’s Relic Stupas and his redistribution of the sacred Relics across the vast expanses of his empire. The Piprahwa Gem Relics, the impressive exhibition woven around it, reflect India’s civilisational aspirations and rise! Urge you all to make it a point to visit this exhibition and to absorb its content and to immerse yourselves in its unique story and see for yourselves the immense effort being made to recover India’s cultural and civilisational inheritance scattered across the world.

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