News Highlights
India Send Four Buddha Relics to Mongolia in conjunction with Mongolian Budhha Purnima celebrations
The Holy Relics will be displayed at the Batsagaan Temple within the premises of Gandan Monastery.
Focus Points
- The four relics come from among 22 Buddha relics (Also known as Kapilavastu Relics) , currently housed at Delhi’s National Museum.
History Behind this Relics
- According to Buddhist beliefs, Buddha attained salvation at the age of 80 in Uttar Pradesh‘s Kushinagar district.
- His relics were collected from the funeral pyre and divided into eight shares, which were distributed among
- Ajathsatrus of Magadha, Licchavis of Vaishali, Sakyas of Kapilavastu, Mallas of Kushinagar, Bullies of Allakappa, Mallas of Pava, Koliyas of Ramagrama, Brahmana of Vethadipa
- The purpose was erecting stupas over the sacred relics.
- Two more stupas came up totally making 10 stupas
- Ashoka (272–232 BC)opened up seven of these eight stupas, and collected major portion of the relics for enshrinement within 84,000 stupas built by him
- In 1898, archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavated a large mound in the estate of British landowner, William Claxton Peppe in Piprahwa(Kapilavastu), Uttar Pradesh
- Piprahwa became identified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as Kapilavastu.
- In 1971 ASI continued excavating the site and discovered 22 bones in two soapstone urns, dating them to the 5th century BCE.
- Currently Delhi’s National Museum housed these 22 Buddha Relics
About Kapilavastu
- Kapilavastu an ancient city in India that served as the capital of Shakya Clan
- Location: Kapilvastu is in southern Nepal, near the Indian border.
- Buddhist texts such as the Pāli Canon claim that Kapilavastu was the childhood home of Gautama Buddha, on account of it being the capital of the Shakyas
Mongolia
- Location: Mongolia is a landlocked country in Central Asia and East Asia, located between China and Russia.
- Capital: Ulaanbaatar
- Bounded by
- North: Russia
- South: China
Pic Courtesy: The New Indian Express
Content Source: Indian Express