New Delhi: Buddha relics — basically the bone fragments of the Buddhist saint — will probably be taken to Thailand this week. The relics, 4 items of bone fragments, will journey to Thailand for the primary time since 1995; they had been taken to Mongolia again in 2022, in an identical gesture of cultural diplomacy.

The tradition ministry mentioned the relics will probably be accorded the dignity of a state visitor, with an Indian Air Force plane and prayer ceremonies. Six monks will journey with the delegation.

Apart from the Kapilavastu relics, the relics of two of Buddha’s disciples, Arahata Sariputra and Arahata Maudgalayana, that are presently in Sanchi, will even be taken to Thailand. 

The relics will journey to Thailand on February 22, and will probably be returned to India on March 19.

In Thailand, the relics will undergo a interval of quarantine on the National Museum, Bangkok after which it is going to be displayed at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang Pavillion for 11 days. After that, the relics will probably be displayed at Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, and at last at Krabi, with the schedule earmarking 5 days at every of the three venues.

Culture secretary Govind Mohan mentioned that the relics will probably be accompanied by a delegation of twenty-two individuals, and prayer ceremonies will happen earlier than and after the relics aboard the IAF flight. Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar in addition to Governor of Bihar Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will probably be a part of the delegation.

“The exposition is a significant development diplomatically for us, and it will go a long way in strengthening the ties between India and Thailand. While in Thailand one can see similarities to Indian culture, the exposition will be welcomed by Buddhists in Thailand,” mentioned the secretary.

The delegation can have monks from Kushinagar, Aurangabad, Ladakh , officers from the tradition Ministry, state authorities of MP, curators from National Museum, artists and students,” mentioned Mohan.

He added that the occasion is being organised with the help of Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Embassy in Thailand, International Buddhist Confederation, National Museum, and State Government of Madhya Pradesh.

The sacred relics, which account for 20 bone fragments in all, had been loaned by the Archaeological Survey of India to the National Museum. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had excavated these relics throughout excavations between 1971 and 1977 in Uttar Pradesh’s Piprahwa below the supervision of KM Srivastava.

“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,” Mohan mentioned.

Most of the relics now stay with the National Museum in New Delhi, with two of them being maintained by the Indian Museum in Kolkata.

Portions of this assortment of sacred relics have been taken to Sri Lanka in 1976 and 2012, to Mongolia in 1993 and 2022, to Singapore in 1994 and 2007, South Korea in 1995 and Thailand in December 1995.