The Holy Relics of Lord Buddha’s chief disciples, Arhant Sariputra and Arhant Maudgalyayana, returned to India on Wednesday following a 10-day public exposition at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, during which around one lakh devotees paid homage to the sacred relics.
The exposition, held from May 31 to June 9, was organised by the National Museum under the Ministry of Culture in association with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), at the request of the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery.
The exposition was opened to the public on May 31, coinciding with the observance of Buddha Purnima in Mongolia.
The event was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the state visit of Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa to India in October 2025. India and Mongolia share longstanding civilisational and spiritual ties rooted in Buddhism, and the exposition provided an opportunity for devotees in Mongolia to pay homage to the sacred relics.
According to the Ministry of Culture, around one lakh people from across Mongolia visited the monastery during the 10-day exposition. Mongolia has a population of about 3.4 million.
The relics were ceremonially handed over on May 30 by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya to Mongolian Education Minister Enkh-Amgalan and His Eminence Ven. Khamba Nomun Khan Geshe Lharampa D. Javzandorj of the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery.
The relics were transported to Mongolia aboard an Indian Air Force special flight accompanied by an Indian delegation led by Acharya. They were brought back to India on Wednesday aboard another Indian Air Force special flight by a delegation led by Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena.
The ministry noted that the relics have so far been sent abroad only to Thailand and Mongolia. An earlier exposition of the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha in Mongolia in June 2022 had also drawn significant public participation.
On the sidelines of the exposition, the National Museum and the International Buddhist Confederation organised three exhibitions focused on Buddhism. These included Sariputta and Moggallana – A Journey of Wisdom, Devotion and Relics; From India to Mongolia: The Transmission of Buddha Dhamma Across Inner Asia; and Vessels of Light: Iconography, Relics and Path of Dhamma (Shakyamuni Buddha’s Journey through Museum Collections of India).
The Holy Relics are accorded the status of a Head of State in terms of protocol and security. Ceremonial welcome and farewell events were organised at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery.
During the closing ceremony, speakers including Ven. Khamba Nomun Khan Geshe Lharampa D. Javzandorj, Enkh-Amgalan, Saxena, Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka President Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thero and International Buddhist Confederation Secretary General Shartse Khensur Rinpoche Jangchup Choeden expressed gratitude to the Government of India and Prime Minister Modi for facilitating the exposition.
Before the relics’ return, Enkh-Amgalan and Ven. Khamba Nomun Khan Geshe Lharampa D. Javzandorj ceremonially handed them over to Saxena. At the airport, Indian Ambassador to Mongolia Atul Malhari Gotsurve presented a Mongolian plant sapling to Saxena. According to the ministry, the sapling will be planted in Ladakh as a symbol of the enduring friendship and spiritual bond between India and Mongolia.
The Ministry of Culture said the exposition has further strengthened the centuries-old cultural and spiritual ties between the two countries.
