New Delhi [India], March 20 (ANI): Union Minister of State Meenakashi Lekhi along with envoys of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Panama, and other nations offered prayers to sacred Buddha relics in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The holy relics of Lord Buddha and those of his two main disciples, Arahant Sariputta and Maha Moggallana, were brought back to India from Thailand on Tuesday.
When the relics arrived here in the national capital yesterday, Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi and Buddhist religious heads were also present.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner Kshenuka Senewiratne, Thai Ambassador Pattarat Hongtong, Panama Ambassador Yasiel Burillo, Taiwan’s deputy Director Colin Kao and several other envoys were present.
Notably, the holy relics were returned to India by a special IAF flight that departed from Krabi, Thailand and reached Delhi on Tuesday evening. After which, Meenakashi Lekhi and Buddhist religious heads carried relics amid full state honours by IAF officials.
Holy relics have returned to India, after 25 days of exposition in four cities of Thailand during which over 4 million devotees from Thailand and other countries from the Mekong region paid homage to the relics.
On the return journey of the relics, a delegation led by Tashi Gyalson, Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) and number of monks accompanied the relics.
The exposition in Thailand drew a phenomenal response. Scenes of winding queues of devotees waiting with offerings since the early hours of the day became a familiar sight as the Holy Relics procession arrived in one city after another, in Thailand.
The revered relics’ exposition, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), travelled to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Krabi provinces, starting from New Delhi on February 22.
The exposition, titled ‘Shared Heritage, Shared Values’, was also marking the commemoration with respect and honour of the 72nd birthday of the King that falls on July 28.
Earlier, the relics arrived in Bangkok on February 22, accompanied by an official delegation led by Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar.
The overwhelming response from devotees exceeded all expectations, making the exposition of relics in Thailand, also known as Ganga Mekong Holy Relics Dhammayatra, a resounding success, and a reaffirmation of the centuries-old civilizational connection between India and the countries in the Mekong Region. (ANI)
