Lord Buddha's relics sent from Gujarat to Sri Lanka for week-long public display

Vadodara, Feb 3 (PTI) Relics of Lord Buddha, preserved in Gujarat's Vadodara, will be kept in Sri Lanka for public viewing for one week starting February 4 as part of a special programme.
The relics include 'asthi' (holy ashes) of Lord Buddha, a permitted ceremonial robe, and a stone reliquary box with a lid. The box is decorated with silver and gold wires and bears inscriptions in Brahmi and Sanskrit reading "Dashbal Sharir Nilaya," meaning "Place of Lord Budha's remains".
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday offered floral tributes to these relics at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Studies at the Sayajiganj campus of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.
Members of the Buddhist Mahabodhi Society and other dignitaries, including Rajmata Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad, were present on the occasion.
These relics will be transported to Sri Lanka via Delhi and are scheduled to reach Colombo during the Sri Lankan New Year, a government release said.
The ashes of Buddha were safeguarded near one of Vadodara's most ancient sites, the Vimleshwar Mahadev temple by Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, it added.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka in 2025, India and Sri Lanka agreed to further strengthen cultural exchanges between the two nations. As part of this agreement, and considering Sri Lanka's Buddhist-majority population, the relics are being displayed during the New Year celebrations.
These sacred relics were discovered during excavations at a mound near Devnimori, close to Shamlaji in Gujarat. In 1957, Professor S N Chaudhary of Maharaja Sayajirao University identified the site, the release said.
Systematic excavations began after 1960 around the mound and nearby areas, confirming the presence of a Buddhist monastery that later declined in the 8th century. The monastery is believed to belong to the Hinayana tradition.
Under the guidance of chief monk Mahasena, monks Agnivarna and Sudarshan constructed a Sharir Stupa near the monastery.
These relics will be on display in Colombo till February 11.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)