PM inaugurates exposition of sacred Piprahwa relics, marking landmark repatriation effort

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Grand International Exposition of the sacred Piprahwa relics a rare collection that includes bone fragments believed to be of Gautama Buddha, ancient reliquaries and gem offerings at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in the national capital.

Titled “The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One” , the exhibition brings together, for the first time in over a century, relics and associated treasures from multiple custodianship streams including items preserved at the Indian Museum in Kolkata and the set repatriated to India after an attempted overseas auction . The exhibition will open for public viewing from January 4 and run for a couple of months.

Speaking at the event, Modi said the return of the Piprahwa relics after more than a century was a matter of “pride, reverence and cultural connect” , and linked their recovery to India’s wider push to reclaim heritage lost during the colonial era.

The Piprahwa relics were discovered in 1898 at Piprahwa (in present-day Uttar Pradesh) and are widely believed to be connected to the Buddha’s mortal remains enshrined by the Sakya clan . An inscription in Brahmi script on one of the caskets is often cited by officials and scholars as crucial evidence supporting the association.

The repatriated portion had drawn global attention after Sotheby’s Hong Kong announced an auction in May 2025, triggering objections from Buddhist organisations and heritage experts and a strong intervention by India’s Ministry of Culture. The sale was postponed amid the backlash and discussions over ownership and ethics, and the relics were subsequently brought back to India.

The Ministry of Culture has said the exposition underlines India’s civilisational link with Buddhism and its cultural diplomacy, noting that hundreds of antiquities have been repatriated in recent years, with the Piprahwa return counted among the landmark recoveries.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, diplomats, venerable Buddhist monks, scholars, heritage experts, artists and students, officials said.