Arunachal Pradesh: Tawang Monastery hosts sacred relics of Shakyamuni Buddha for week-long exposition

The holy relics of Shakyamuni Buddha which arrived in Arunachal Pradeshs Tawang on Saturday are being hosted at the countrys largest monastery here for a weeklong expositionNestled in the serene hills of the eastern Himalayan range Tawang Monastery was founded in the 17th century by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai LamaThe journey of the sacred relics for this exposition in Tawang began late on the night of October 30 when they were taken out of the National Museum after a sacred ceremony and transported to the Palam Air Force Station From there they were ferried to Guwahati in a special IAF aircraft a senior official saidFrom Guwahati they were brought to Tawang on a chopper on Saturday and then taken to the monastery for enshrinement and exposition which will continue till November 7 the official saidUnion Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who visited the monastery on Saturday said he had the sacred privilege of receiving the holy relics of Bhagwan Buddha at the historic Tawang Monastery one of the most revered centres of Buddhist spiritualityOffered my prayers and sought blessings for peace harmony and the wellbeing of all A deeply humbling and spiritually enriching experience amid the timeless traditions of Bharats rich civilisational heritage Shekhawat posted on X along with visuals of the arrival of the holy relicsAn example of Mahayana Buddhism Tawang Monastery is the largest monastery in India according to a description on the Incredible India websiteAlso known as Gaden Namgyal Lhatse which means the divine paradise of complete victory the monastery is situated at an elevation of more than 10000 feet and overlooks the picturesque Tawang ValleyThe threestorey monastery is enclosed by a 925footlong compound wall and consists of 65 residential buildings Its library houses valuable old scriptures mainly Kangyur and Tengyur the website saysThe culture ministry is hosting the exposition in collaboration with the government of Arunachal Pradesh the International Buddhist Confederation IBC and the National Museum from October 31 to November 21After the display at the Tawang Monastery the sacred Piprahwa relics linked to Lord Buddha will be taken to Bomdila and Namsai reflecting Arunachal Pradeshs rich Buddhist traditionsIn a post on X PIB Culture shared a letter by Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on the exposition in TawangHis Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama welcomes the exposition of the sacred relics of Bhagwan Buddha in Arunachal Pradesh highlighting their spiritual significance in inspiring peace devotion and compassion and encouraging a deeper understanding of Buddhas teachings it saidIn his letter dated October 19 the Dalai Lama said I hope that in addition to receiving blessings the devotees will be encouraged by the relics to deepen their understanding of Buddhism through study reflection and practicePiprahwa the presentday Siddharthnagar district in Uttar Pradesh occupies a prominent place in the archaeological history of BuddhismIn 1898 William Claxton Peppe excavated a stupa at the site and discovered reliquaries containing bone fragments and precious objects bringing international attention to the historical and religious significance of the discoverySubsequently the Archaeological Survey of India conducted excavations between 1971 and 1977 under the supervision of archaeologist K M Srivastava Excavations at deeper levels revealed two additional reliquary caskets containing ancient bone relics traditionally associated with Lord Buddha the culture ministry saidThe larger casket contained 12 sacred bone fragments while the smaller casket contained 10 making a total of 22 sacred relics recovered during these excavations Of these 20 are preserved at the National Museum in New Delhi and two at the Indian Museum in KolkataThe relics comprising ancient osteological material are regarded as exceptionally rare and are accorded profound religious reverence by Buddhist communitiesTheir historical and archaeological importance is accompanied by a deep spiritual significance rooted in the longestablished Buddhist tradition of relic venerationOn November 8 the holy relics are scheduled to be ferried from Tawang to Rupa by helicopter and thereafter by road to Bomdila The itinerary includes ceremonial reception at Upper Gompa before their installation at Lower Gompa the officials saidOn November 14 the holy relics will be transported from Bomdila to Rupa by road and thereafter by helicopter to Nalung Helipad Namsai They will be taken to the Golden Pagoda for the expositionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever