Modi to Inaugurate Delhi Exposition of Piprahwa Relics on Jan. 3

Overview

• The exposition will be held at the Rai Pithora cultural complex in New Delhi.
• Titled “The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One,” it brings together the repatriated Piprahwa relics with items from the National Museum, New Delhi, and the Indian Museum, Kolkata.
• Officials say the relics, discovered in 1898, are among the earliest and most significant deposits directly connected to the Buddha.
• Archaeological evidence associates Piprahwa with ancient Kapilavastu, identified with the Buddha’s early life before renunciation.
• A reconstructed model inspired by the Sanchi Stupa and immersive audiovisual presentations will frame the materials, with officials presenting the display as part of a wider heritage-repatriation effort.