The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Grand International Exposition ‘The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One’ to showcase the Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha on 3 January 2026 at the Raipithora Cultural Complex, New Delhi. The exposition commemorates the Ministry of Culture’s successful repatriation of the relics in July 2025.
In May 2025, the Ministry of Culture intervened to halt an auction of a portion of the Piprahwa Relics by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. The relics were successfully repatriated to India on July 30, 2025, through a public-private partnership involving the Government of India and the Godrej Industries Group.
The inauguration of the exposition was attended by the Hon’ble Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat; Hon'ble Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju; the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena; Hon’ble Minister of State for Culture, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh; Hon’ble Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale; and the Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri Vivek Aggarwal, along with Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic corps, including international cultural representatives and venerable Buddhist monks, scholars and students.
The exposition associated with the life of Lord Buddha holds profound spiritual, archaeological, and civilisational significance for India; the reunification of the Piprahwa relics after 127 years is a historic moment.
Curated under the theme “The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One,” the exposition showcases over 80 exceptional objects, dating back to the 6th century BCE. These include sculptures, manuscripts, thangkas, ritual objects, reliquaries, and jewelled treasures. It also showcases a monolithic stone coffer in which the sacred relics were originally discovered.
The exposition brings together, for the first time, the Piprahwa relics repatriated after more than a century with authentic relics and archaeological materials from Piprahwa that are preserved in the collections of the National Museum, New Delhi, and the Indian Museum, Kolkata. The exhibition area at Qila Raipithora is specially curated by the ASI and bears resonance with Buddhist artistic and architectural patterns; it is open for public view from January 4.
An introductory orientation film was screened to showcase the story of the relics from their discovery in 1898 to their repatriation in 2025. It explained the timeline of 127 years—the relics being unearthed, taken to England by William Claxton Peppé, its planned auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in May 2025, the Ministry of Culture’s intervention to stop the auction, and steadfast action to stop the auction to repatriate them.
During his visit, the Prime Minister undertook a walkthrough of the exhibition and released the Exhibition Catalogue. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, “After a wait of 127 years, India’s heritage has returned, and the nation’s treasured legacy has come back home. From today, the people of India will be able to have darshan of these sacred relics of Lord Buddha and receive His blessings.”
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the presence of the Prime Minister, who has the rare ability to translate the spirit of India into the actions of governance, is always a moment of inspiration and significance. He added that welcoming the Prime Minister on this historic occasion was a matter of immense pride for all.
The inaugural session also saw mesmerising cultural performances. One of the major highlights of the cultural performances was the ‘Kinnara Kinnari’ folk dance performance by the artists of the Tai Khamti Heritage and Literature Society, Arunachal Pradesh. Another cultural showcase was presented by Anveshna Society for Performing Arts, Delhi, including various traditional dance forms like Kathak, Mohiniyattam, and Odissi, including ancient martial arts like Kalarippayattu, among others. A special panel discussion on 'Buddhist Philosophy' on the sidelines of the exhibition was also held.
The Ministry of Culture’s initiative to open the exposition to a global audience reflects India’s role as a custodian of Buddhist values and its commitment to sharing its cultural heritage to foster international cultural ties and promote global peace.
