PM Modi Unveils Grand Exhibition of Piprahwa Buddha Relics Repatriated from Overseas
Ancient Piprahwa relics unveiled in Delhi exhibition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Grand International Exposition titled "The Light and the Lotus - Relics of the Awakened One" on January 3, 2026, at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in New Delhi, marking the first public display of over 300 sacred gemstones and ornaments repatriated after more than a century abroad.
The collection, unearthed in 1898 by British engineer William Claxton Peppe at the Piprahwa stupa in Uttar Pradesh's Siddharthnagar district, includes precious stones believed to have been buried alongside bone fragments identified as relics of the Buddha through an ancient inscription on accompanying caskets dating back to around 200 BC.
Repatriation was secured in July 2025 via a collaborative effort between the Indian government and Godrej Industries Group, which acquired the artifacts privately after authorities intervened to halt a scheduled Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong, designating them as inalienable cultural and religious heritage.
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Modi highlighted the occasion as a vital reconnection with India's ancient spiritual legacy, noting that these relics embody enduring principles of peace and compassion accessible to humanity worldwide, while underscoring national initiatives to recover scattered antiquities from global collections.
The ongoing exhibition integrates the repatriated jewels with bone relics and related artifacts preserved at the National Museum in New Delhi, Indian Museum in Kolkata, and materials from excavations conducted in the 1970s, presented through thematic sections enhanced by multimedia elements tracing the Buddha's life, teachings, and the worldwide dissemination of Buddhist traditions.
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