NEWS – Buddha/ Kapilvastu Relics, bone fragments of Lord Buddha to be taken to Bangkok, Thailand from India

‘KAPILVASTU RELICS’

• Four bone fragments
• First time since 1995
• Relics will be accompanied by a delegation of 18-20 people, including six monks
• The relics of two of Buddha’s disciples, Arahata Sariputra and Arahata Maudgalayana, which are currently in Sanchi, will also be taken to Thailand
• Once in Thailand, the relics will go into quarantine at the National Museum, Bangkok, after which, they will be displayed at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang Pavilion for 11 days, and at Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Krabi for 5 days each
• The exposition is a significant development diplomatically for us, and it will go a long way in strengthening the ties between India and Thailand
• The sacred relics, which account for 20 bone fragments in all, were loaned by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the National Museum
• The ASI had excavated these relics between 1971 and 1977 in Uttar Pradesh’s Piprahwa, under the supervision of KM Srivastava