Overview

• The Ministry of Culture will stage the exhibition in Kalmykia from September 24 to October 1, showcasing the Piprahwa (Kapilavastu) relics.
• Keshav Prasad Maurya will depart on September 23 aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft with a delegation transporting the relics.
• The collection includes sacred bone fragments, crystal caskets, gold ornaments, gemstones and a sandstone reliquary linked by Brahmi inscriptions to the Shakya context.
• The items resurfaced at a May 2025 Hong Kong auction and were secured for India with government intervention and facilitation by Godrej Industries Group, returning on July 30.
• Officials cast the Russia programme as cultural diplomacy in a largely Buddhist region, with Elista’s National Museum hosting replicas and a short film from September 25 to 28 following earlier shows in Thailand and Vietnam.