After 125 years, India’s heritage has returned and the nation’s treasured legacy has come back: PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Grand International Exposition “The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One” at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex, New Delhi.

The Event
- On January 3, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Grand International Exposition “The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One” at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in New Delhi.
- The exposition showcases the Piprahwa Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been reunited in India after 125 years.

The Relics
- The Piprahwa relics were first unearthed in 1898 at Kapilavastu by William Claxton Peppé.
- They include sacred relics, reliquaries, manuscripts, thangkas, ritual objects, and jewelled treasures.
- Recently, the Peppé family collection was repatriated to India in July 2025, after the Government of India intervened to stop their auction abroad.
- Together with relics preserved at the Indian Museum, Kolkata and findings from the 1972–75 excavations, this marks the most comprehensive assemblage of Buddha relics ever displayed.

Significance
- The Prime Minister emphasized: “After a wait of 125 years, India’s heritage has returned and the nation’s treasured legacy has come back home.”
- The event symbolizes India’s commitment to reclaiming and preserving cultural patrimony.
- Under Modi’s leadership, 642 antiquities have been repatriated to India so far, with the Piprahwa relics being a landmark achievement in cultural diplomacy.
- The exposition reaffirms India’s role as the birthplace of Buddha Dhamma and its dedication to sharing this civilisational legacy globally.

Attendees
- The inauguration was attended by Union Ministers, ambassadors, Buddhist monks, scholars, heritage experts, students, and followers of Buddhism from India and abroad.
- The Prime Minister also consecrated an ancient seal, planted a Bodhi tree sapling, and offered Chivar Daan to monks.

This moment is being celebrated as a historic cultural and spiritual milestone for India, reconnecting the nation with a sacred legacy that had been dispersed for more than a century.