New Delhi, 11 June (H.S.): The sacred Buddhist relics of Lord Buddha’s two foremost and most revered disciples—Arhat Sariputra and Arhat Maudgalyayana (Moggallana)—were transported on Thursday to Sanchi, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, following a historic 10-day visit to Mongolia.

According to the Union Ministry of Culture, the sacred relics are originally enshrined in the stupas of Sanchi, where they will once again be ceremonially reinstalled with full state and religious honours. Earlier, on Wednesday, the relics were flown back to New Delhi from Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, aboard a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force. They received a grand welcome upon their arrival in the national capital.

During the departure of the relics for Sanchi on Thursday, actress and Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Tarun Chugh visited the airport to pay their respects and express deep reverence.

Throughout the international journey, representatives of the International Buddhist Confederation and the Government of India accompanied the relics, along with Vinai Kumar Saxena. Leaders associated with the delegation said the visit had further strengthened the centuries-old cultural and spiritual ties between India and Mongolia.

The exhibition of the sacred relics was organised at the request of the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery. The National Museum of India, under the Ministry of Culture, successfully conducted the exhibition from May 31 to June 9 in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, the Maha Bodhi Society, and the International Buddhist Confederation.

Opened to the public on the auspicious occasion of the Mongolian observance of Buddha Purnima, the exhibition witnessed an overwhelming response. In Mongolia, which has a population of approximately 3.4 million, nearly 100,000 devotees visited the monastery and paid homage to the sacred relics within a span of just ten days.

Notably, the historic exhibition was announced by Narendra Modi during the visit of Khurelsukh Ukhnaa to India in October 2025. Subsequently, on May 30, Lakshman Prasad Acharya formally handed over the relics to Mongolia’s Education Minister Enkh-Amgalan and Khamba Nomun Khan Geshe Lharampa D. Javzandorj of Gandan Tegchenling Monastery during a ceremonial event.

The overseas display of these sacred relics remains an exceptionally rare occurrence. To date, the revered relics have been sent outside India only to Thailand and Mongolia, underscoring their immense religious, historical, and cultural significance.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar