Buddha-linked Piprahwa relics exhibition to run for six months: National Museum DG

New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) An ongoing grand exposition of the sacred Piprahwa relics, which include bone fragments believed to be of the Buddha, a huge sandstone coffer and offerings such as ornaments and gemstones excavated in northern India in the late 19th century, will run for six months, a top official of the National Museum said on Wednesday.

Titled "The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One" and hosted at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in south Delhi, it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 3.

"We have received a very good response from people so far. The sites under the jurisdiction of the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) are open to visitors from sunrise to sunset. However, for facilitating visitors who might be occupied in the day time due to work or school or college, the exhibition timing is from 9 am to 9 pm daily," National Museum's Director General Gurmeet Singh Chawla told PTI.

Asked how long this exposition will run, he said the exhibits will be on display for "six months".

The Rai Pithora Cultural Complex consists of a sprawling campus, which has ruins of old fortifications which form part of what was one of the seven cities of Delhi -- Lal Kot -- and a modern round building at its centre.

The exhibition is hosted in the round building which has been refurbished and its interior area has been especially curated for the exposition.

A replica of the famous Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh has been erected in the focal area of the round building and the relics have been displayed in three separate glass-fronted embedded enclosures around its periphery.

The sacred Piprahwa relics, which include bone fragments believed to be of the Buddha, a sandstone coffer and offerings such as ornaments and gemstones, were excavated in northern India by a British engineer William Claxton Peppe in 1898.

Another segment at the exposition displays the huge sandstone coffer.

Following the discovery of the relics, portions were distributed globally, with a part gifted to the King of Siam, another one taken to England and a part preserved at the Indian Museum in Calcutta (now Kolkata), the Ministry of Culture said.

A selection of the relics, Piprahwa gems, retained by the descendants of Peppe, who was of British descent, was listed for auction on May 7 last year by Sotheby's Hong Kong.

However, the auction was halted and the relics returned in 2025 through "decisive intervention by the ministry, supported by Buddhist communities worldwide", it said.

The ministry is hosting this landmark exposition showcasing the Piprahwa relics, including reliquaries and gem relics.

These relics were originally discovered in 1898 at Piprahwa (in today's Uttar Pradesh) by Peppe.

"This historic event marks the reunification of the Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha, repatriated after 127 years, with relics, gem relics and reliquaries from the 1898 excavation and subsequent 1971-1975 excavation at the Piprahwa site," the ministry earlier said.

The exposition features over 80 objects, including sculptures, manuscripts, thangkas and ritual items, spanning from the 6th century BC to the present, it said.

The Piprahwa relics are widely believed to be associated with the mortal remains of the Buddha, enshrined by the Sakya clan, officials said.

An inscription in the Brahmi script on one of the caskets confirms these as relics of the Buddha deposited by the clan, they said.

Enshrined by his followers around the 3rd century BC, these relics have long held immense spiritual value for the global Buddhist community and represent one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Indian history. PTI KND KSS KSS