New Delhi, June 3: The holy relics of Lord Buddha returned to India on Tuesday after a spiritually significant month-long exposition tour across Vietnam.

The relics were ceremoniously received at Palam Air Force Station in New Delhi. The delegation accompanying the relics was led by Hari Babu Kambhampati, Governor of Odisha, along with representation from the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), led by Ven. Shartse Khensur Jangchup Choeden Rinpoche, Secretary General, and National Museum officials.

"The holy relics will be publicly displayed at the National Museum, Delhi, for a day, allowing devotees and dignitaries to offer their respects. A formal prayer meeting with senior monks, IBC officials, and diplomats will follow," the IBC said in a post on X.

"On June 4, the relics will travel in a Presidential cavalcade to Sarnath via Varanasi, where they will be ceremonially enshrined at Mulagandha Kuti Vihar, marking the grand conclusion of this historic international pilgrimage," it added.

The extraordinary spiritual movement swept across Vietnam as millions of devotees participated in a historic veneration pilgrimage of the Buddha's sacred relics from India.

The sacred tour, spanning multiple revered locations from the south to the north of the country, drew more than 17.8 million devotees in total, uniting Buddhists and spiritual seekers in a profound display of reverence and cultural solidarity.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had called the exhibition of these relics in Vietnam an "expression of close and friendly ties over centuries."

The veneration not only affirmed Vietnam's deep-rooted Buddhist heritage but also became a vibrant expression of national unity and peace.

Ceremonies included relic processions, meditative gatherings, chanting, and educational sessions, fostering spiritual mindfulness among attendees of all ages.

The holy relics arrived in Vietnam from India on May 2 with an Indian delegation led by Union Minister of Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju which also included Andhra Pradesh Minister Kandula Durgesh and senior monks and officials.

The relics were supposed to remain in Vietnam until May 21 as part of the UN Day of Vesak celebrations.

However, responding to a formal request from the Vietnamese government after receiving a recommendation from the Committee for Ethnic and Religious Affairs, India agreed to extend the enshrinement of sacred relics of the Buddha in Vietnam beyond May 21, according to the reports of Vietnamese local media.

The relics were displayed at Thanh Tam Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, then in Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh province, Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi, Tam Chuc Pagoda in Ha Nam, Bai Dinh Pagoda in Ninh Binh province, Phuc Son Pagoda, Bac Giang Province, Truc Lam Yen Tu Monastery in Quang Ninh, Chuong Pagoda in Hung Yen and Quan Am Ngu Hanh Son Pagoda in Da Nang City of Vietnam.

(IANS)

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