The sacred holy Buddha relics from India has arrived in Bhutan. It has heightened the already spiritual and festive atmosphere alongside the ongoing Global Peace Prayer Festival. The relics will be on public display for veneration from Wednesday till Monday at the Trashichodzong.
A special flight from Delhi touched down at Paro at 10 this morning carrying the sacred holy Buddha relics in a historic gesture of friendship and spiritual unity.
The relics were escorted by a high-level delegation led by India’s Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The relics were received with a Suelwa and Sedra procession by the Tshogki Lopen of the Central Monastic Body, the Home Minister, senior government officials, the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, and officials from the Indian Embassy.
Tshogki Lopen Sangay Khandu said, “It is an auspicious time in Bhutan, coinciding with His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo‘s 70th birthday on the 11th of November. It is also the day when Lord Buddha descended from the Trayastrimsa heaven to earth. The arrival of such sacred relics from India further adds to the auspiciousness of the occasion.”
The Piprahwa relics were excavated in the late nineteenth century by British archaeologist William Claxton Peppe at the site of the Piprahwa Stupa in Uttar Pradesh. Piprahwa is identified as the site of ancient Kapilavastu, which was the capital of the Shakya clan. It was this place where Prince Siddhartha spent his early life before attaining enlightenment, and the site has been frequently mentioned in Buddhist literature.
Tshogki Lopen said, “The sacred relics are those of Shakyamuni’s bone fragments that have been preserved as treasures of the Shakya clan.”
People, including students lined up along stretches of the road to offer incense and prayers as the motorcade made its way through Paro town en route to the capital.
In Thimphu, the sacred relics were ushered in a traditional chipdrel ceremony and was received by the Prime Minister at Trashichodzong. Then, the relics were accorded a ceremonial guard of honour, marking a moment of reverence and devotion. The relics is kept at the Grand Kuenray of Trashichodzong.
Tshogki Lopen said, “Viewing the relics is an opportunity to pray that all sentient beings be blessed with happiness. With the blessings received from the relics, may happiness shower upon all sentient beings, and may they be liberated from all suffering.”
These sacred relics, among the most venerated treasures of the global Buddhist community, offer a direct connection to Lord Buddha’s physical presence. Enshrined at the National Museum in New Delhi, they stand as a testament to India’s rich Buddhist heritage, while their journey to Bhutan highlights the profound spiritual and cultural bonds between the two nations.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
