Rijiju-led delegation to carry Lord Buddha relics to Mongolia

NEW DELHI, 11 Jun: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju will lead a 25-member delegation to Mongolia carrying Lord Buddha’s relics to mark the Mongolian ‘Buddha Day’ on 14 June.

The sacred relics will be taken by an Indian Air Force C17 Globemaster transport aircraft in a special casket and will be on display at a monastery for 11 days.

Rijiju told reporters here that the ‘Kapilavastu’ have “AA stature” and are not moved out of the National Museum here. But on the special request of the Mongolian government, New Delhi decided to send these for exposition.

Initially, they were to be displayed for a week, but on request, the display time has been extended to 11 days.

Singer Mohit Chauhan, cultural envoy of Mongolia to India, will be part of the delegation, the minister said.

The Kapilavastu relics are believed to contain Gautam Buddha’s remains. The relics were found during excavations at Piprahwa in present-day Bihar. (PTI)