This marks the first time these sacred relics have been brought outside of India for public veneration.
The exhibition coincides with Sri Lanka’s 78th Independence Day celebrations.
The arrival of the relics is a direct result of discussions between Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter's recent visit to the island. These relics were discovered in the 1960s during excavations at the Devni Mori site in Gujarat—the home state of PM Modi. They date back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE.
The relics were found inside a casket inscribed with Brahmi script in Sanskrit, identifying the contents as the bodily remains of the Buddha.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake officially inaugurated the event, which is being held with the full support and sponsorship of the Indian government. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha remarked that hosting these relics is a "great blessing" for the people of Sri Lanka, further strengthening the deep-rooted spiritual ties between the two nations.
