Context: 

Recently, the Government said that Four of the 20 relics of Buddha presently kept in the National Museum in New Delhi will be taken to Thailand.

Relics of Buddha at National Museum to Be on Display in Thailand

• The event is being organised with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Embassy in Thailand, the International Buddhist Confederation and the Madhya Pradesh government.
• This is for the first time that the revered relics of Lord Buddha, along with those of his disciples, Arahata Sariputra and Arahata Maudgalayana, will be showcased together.

About the Sacred Relics

• Definition: Relics are sacred objects associated with holy individuals. In most cases, relics are objects that are recovered from the holy person’s tomb or cremation.
  • They may be literal body parts (teeth, hair, bones) or objects which the holy person used or touched. 
  • In many traditions, relics are believed to have special powers to heal, grant favours, or exorcise demons.
• Placed: They are usually housed in a sacred place such as a church, stupa, temple, or palace; today, some are kept in museums.
• Rare Category: The relics fall under the ‘AA’ (rare) category of antiquities and art treasures and are not meant to be lent for exhibitions, within India or in foreign nations. 
  • But the exposition in Thailand was being held upon a “special request” by the Thai Government.
• Recovered: The relics at the National Museum are known as the ‘Kapilvastu Relics’ as they were recovered in 1898 from a site in Bihar believed to be the ancient city of Kapilvastu.
• An Inscribed Casket: It was an inscribed casket found at the stupa site in Piprahwa (near Siddharth Nagar in Uttar Pradesh) that helped identify Kapilavastu. 
  • The casket contained the relics of Buddha and Sakya, his community. 
  • The relics of his two disciples are preserved in Madhya Pradesh’s Sanchi.

Current Status Of Sacred Relics

• Exhibited: Portions of this collection of sacred relics have been taken to Sri Lanka (1976, 2012), Mongolia (1993, 2022), Singapore (1994, 2007), South Korea (1995) and Thailand (Dec 1995). 
  • It will be only the second relics exhibition to Thailand.
• Preservation: The sacred relics (20 bone fragments) loaned by Archaeological Survey of India to National Museum, are now in the safe custody of National Museum, New Delhi and remaining two with the Indian Museum, Kolkata. 

Distribution of the Sacred Relics

• Relics, a Signifier of Buddha: Though Buddha had attained nirvana, his precious body relics were to be revered as signifiers of the Buddha Himself. 
  • Mahavastu declared that “when the relics are seen, the Buddha is seen.”
• Cremation of the Body: The Mallas of Kushinagara cremated his body with ceremonies befitting a Universal King. His holy relics, from the funeral pyre were collected and divided and given by Brahmin priest Dhona of Kushinagar to kings and priests.
• Eight Shares: These were distributed among Ajatashatru of Magadha, the Licchavis of Vaishali, the Sakyas of Kapilavastu, Mallas of Kushinagar, Bullies of All-Kappa, the Mallas of Pava, the Koliyas of Ramagrama and a Brahmana of Vethadipa.
• Contribution of Ashoka: Ashoka, being an ardent follower of Buddhism, opened-up 7 of these 8 stupas, and collected major portion of the relics for enshrinement within innumerable (84000 stupas) built by him in an effort to popularise Buddhism and spread dharma.

About Kapilavastu Piprahwa

• Excavated: The relics under the care of the National Museum, New Delhi were excavated from Piprahwa in the Siddharthnagar District of UP, an erstwhile part of the ancient city of Kapilavastu. 
• Discovered: By William Claxton Peppé.
• Further Excavations: By the Archaeological Survey of India in 1971-77 brought to light two more steatite relic caskets, containing a total of 22 sacred bone relics, 12 sacred relics from the bigger casket and 10 sacred relics from the smaller casket.
  • This was followed by the discovery of more than 40 terracotta sealings from different levels and spots in the eastern monastery at Piprahwa, establishing that Piprahwa was the ancient Kapilavastu.

News Source: PIB