Overview
- The relics were ceremonially enshrined at the Grand Kuenrey Hall of Tashichho Dzong for public veneration from November 8 to 18 during the Global Peace Prayer Festival in Thimphu.
- They were flown from New Delhi on an Indian Air Force aircraft with a delegation led by Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar and senior monks, and were received with traditional rites at Paro.
- Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay called the sending of the relics a gift from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, framing it as spiritual collaboration ahead of Mr. Modi’s November 11–12 visit and the fourth king’s 70th birthday events.
- The casket contains Piprahwa relics excavated in 1898, a portion of which was recently secured back to India after an attempted Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale through action by the Culture Ministry with Godrej Industries.
- The International Buddhist Confederation and the National Museum are staging accompanying exhibitions, including showcases on Guru Padmasambhava, the Shakya legacy, and the life and teachings of the Buddha.