Who :

• 17th century Georgian Queen
• From Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia
• Was tortured and killed in 1624 in Shiraz during the rule of the Safavid dynasty
• Portuguese missionaries were said to have carried the relics to Goa in 1627.
• Revered as a martyr, her relics remained lost till 2005 as the St. Augustine Church collapsed in 1842
• DNA analysis by the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, confirmed their authenticity in 2013.

What is in news : After a long-standing request of Georgia, External Affairs Minister handed over the holy relics of 17th century Georgian Queen St. Ketevan nearly 16 years after they were found in Goa.

Other details :

• Larger part of the relic remained with the ASI in Goa and would be publicly displayed for the first time
• Smaller part had been handed over to Georgia, where it was likely to be displayed publicly with the citation that it was a “gift from people of India to people of Georgia”
• The larger part of the relic had been sent to Georgia for an exhibition for six months in 2017

INDIA-GEORGIA

• Georgia is situated at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia
• Relations between Georgia and India date back to ancient times.
• The Panchatantra influenced Georgian folk legends. During the medieval period, Georgian missionaries, travelers, and traders visited India.
• Some Georgians served in the courts of Mughal emperors, and a few rose to the rank of governor.
• India was among the first countries to officially recognize Georgia, doing so on 26 December 1991.
• India is a net exporter to Georgia.
• The main commodities exported by India to Georgia are cereals, nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery and equipment, aluminium and aluminium articles.