Colombo, Feb 2 Underlining India's commitment to fostering Buddhist diplomacy, spiritual outreach, and shared cultural heritage, the sacred Devnimori relics of Lord Buddha will be travelling to Sri Lanka for their first-ever international exposition, the High Commission of India in Colombo announced on Monday.
The sacred initiative comes pursuant to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement and in continuation of India's efforts to strengthen cultural and spiritual ties across borders.
The holy relics will be enshrined at Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo from February 4 to 11 with the public veneration beginning February 5 onwards. They are expected to attract a large number of devotees, Buddhist monks, and international pilgrims in the island nation, all of whom will have the rare opportunity to pay homage to the revered relics.
"From Vietnam to Mongolia and Thailand to Russia, India continues to share its Buddhist heritage. As the Holy Devnimori Relics arrive in Sri Lanka, witness how India connects the world through the message of Lord Buddha," the High Commission stated while sharing a video of PM Modi's recent speech where he noted that waves of faith and devotion arose wherever the sacred relics of Lord Buddha travelled to in the recent months.
Mahishini Colonne, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, on Sunday termed the development as a "rare blessing" for the island country.
"A rare blessing for Sri Lanka. The sacred Devinmori Relics of Lord Buddha on exposition at Gangaramaya Temple in Sri Lanka - the first ever international exposition of the relics. Grateful to the Government of India and all those who made this possible," the Lankan High Commissioner posted on X.
Earlier this month, while inaugurating the Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics associated with Bhagwan Buddha at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in Delhi, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the initiatives undertaken by his government to develop sites associated with the heritage of Lord Buddha in India and across the world, while also emphasising efforts to connect the present generation with Buddhist traditions and values.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, PM Modi spoke about India's deep-rooted spiritual links with Buddhism and its role in sharing this legacy globally.
Recalling his international visits, the Prime Minister said, "Wherever I went, I tried to connect people with Buddha's legacy by taking a part of it back with me. That's why, whether to China, Japan, Korea, or Mongolia, I carried saplings of the Bodhi tree. In Hiroshima, the city devastated by the atomic bomb, the presence of a Bodhi tree at the Peace Memorial Park sends a powerful message to humanity."
He said the shared heritage of Lord Buddha demonstrates that India's bond with the world extends far beyond formal ties.
"It proves that India's connection with the world is not just about politics, diplomacy, or economics. It runs much deeper, connected by heart, sentiments, faith and spirituality," he said.
PM Modi underlined that India is not only the custodian of Lord Buddha's sacred relics but also a "living bearer" of his heritage.
"Relics associated with Lord Buddha found at Piprahwa, Vaishali, Devni Mori, and Nagarjunakonda are a living presence of his message. India has preserved and nurtured these relics in every form -- scientific and spiritual," he said.
Highlighting India's role in preserving Buddhist heritage beyond its borders, the Prime Minister said, "India has continuously strived to contribute as much as possible to the development of sites worldwide connected with Buddha's heritage. When a devastating earthquake in Nepal damaged ancient stupas, India assisted in their reconstruction. After the earthquake in Myanmar's Bagan, we helped conserve over 100 pagodas. There are many such examples."
PM Modi highlighted that in Thailand, where such sacred relics were placed at different locations, in less than a month more than 40 lakh devotees came for darshan. He emphasised that in Vietnam, public sentiment was so strong that the duration of the exhibition had to be extended, and in nine cities nearly 1.75 crore people paid homage to the relics.
He also pointed out that in Mongolia, thousands of people waited for hours outside the Gandan Monastery, and many wished to touch the Indian representatives simply because they had come from the land of Buddha. He underlined that in Russia's Kalmykia region, in just one week more than 1.5 lakh devotees witnessed the sacred relics, which is equal to more than half of the local population. Emphasising that in these events across different countries, whether common citizens or heads of government, all were united in equal reverence.
During his address, PM Modi stated that seeing the Jaya Sri Mahabodhi in Sri Lanka's Anuradhapura was an experience of connecting with the tradition sown by Emperor Ashoka, Bhikkhu Mahinda, and Sanghamitra. Prime Minister Modi added that his visits to Wat Pho in Thailand and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore further deepened his understanding of the impact of Lord Buddha's teachings.
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