Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics related to Lord Buddha at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in New Delhi tomorrow. The Exposition brings together, for the first time, the Piprahwa relics repatriated after more than a century with authentic relics and archaeological materials from Piprahwa that are preserved in the collections of the National Museum, New Delhi, and the Indian Museum, Kolkata.

 

Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the Piprahwa relics, discovered in 1898, hold a central place in the archaeological study of early Buddhism. These are among the earliest and most historically significant relic deposits directly connected to Lord Buddha.

 

Archaeological evidence associates the Piprahwa site with ancient Kapilavastu, widely identified as the place where Lord Buddha spent his early life prior to renunciation.

 

The exhibition underscores India’s enduring civilizational links with Buddhist teachings and the government’s efforts to preserve spiritual and cultural heritage. The repatriation was achieved through sustained government action, institutional cooperation and public-private partnership.