New Delhi: Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati returned to India with the holy relics of Lord Buddha on Monday night after a month-long exposition, spanning multiple cities in Vietnam.
The sacred relics, enshrined at a vihara in Uttar Pradesh’s Sarnath, were flown to Vietnam in a special Indian Air Force aircraft and reached Ho Chi Minh City on May 2 for exposition on the gala celebrations of the United Nations Day of Vesak, which is observed annually on the full moon of May to commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of Lord Buddha.
These relics were on display in Vietnam during the Vesak celebrations from May 6 to 8.
The exposition, originally scheduled to conclude on May 21, was later extended until June 2 on special request by the Government of Vietnam due to the spiritually charged atmosphere and growing public reverence. Over 15 million devotees gathered to seek the blessings of the Buddha during the extended tour, according to the Ministry of Culture.
The relics returned to India in an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft last night. “”It was a very beautiful initiative. It was initially planned from May 2 to May 22. However, in different provinces across Vietnam, the response from the people was so encouraging that they requested the programme to be extended until June 2. The Prime Minister of Vietnam also requested our Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the programme, and our Prime Minister agreed. I was deputed to go to Vietnam to lead the delegation to bring back the sacred relics of Buddha from Vietnam to India today… I am very happy to note that this programme is a very good programme to connect the people of Vietnam to India,” Kambhampati, who lead a delegation accompanying the holy relics of Lord Buddha from Vietnam to India, told PTI.
“We visited Vietnam at the start of May to accompany the Buddha relic from Sarnath, and have now returned. This event was made possible by the Indian Buddhist Council (IBC) and held under the guidance of the Government of India. It was a very special event in itself…This visit was very successful,” said Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation Ven. Shartse Khensur Rinpoche Jangchup Choeden.
The holy relics will be placed on public exposition at the National Museum hereb for a day from the morning of Tuesday. A formal prayer meeting will be held in the afternoon by senior monks, the Secretary General of the International Buddhist Confederation, and representatives of the diplomatic corps. The relics will depart Delhi on Wednesday in a Presidential cavalcade with full protocol reserved for Heads of State. They will be escorted to Sarnath via Varanasi, where they will be ceremonially enshrined at Mulagandha Kuti Vihar, concluding a historic international pilgrimage that reinforced the timeless message of peace and compassion embodied by the Buddha, an official released said.
