IndiGo's ₹10,000 Gesture of Care for Passengers affected by flight delays and cancellations between December 3–5, 2025

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.