On January 3, 2026, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics related to Bhagwan Buddha at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in New Delhi. The exposition, titled The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One, was organised by the Ministry of Culture. The event marked a historic homecoming, reuniting the Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha, repatriated after more than 127 years, with relics and reliquaries preserved in the collections of the National Museum, New Delhi, and the Indian Museum, Kolkata. The original relics were discovered in 1898 by William Claxton Peppe at the ancient stupa of Kapilavastu. Following the discovery, portions were distributed globally: one was gifted to the King of Siam, another was taken to England, and a third was preserved at the Indian Museum, Kolkata. In 2025, the Peppe family portion was repatriated to India through decisive intervention by the Ministry of Culture, supported by Buddhist communities worldwide. The exposition brings together for the first time the repatriated relics with authentic archaeological materials from Piprahwa, along with thematic sections such as Piprahwa Revisited, Vignettes of the Life of Buddha, Intangible in the Tangible: The Aesthetic Language of Buddhist Teachings, and Expansion of Buddhist Art and Ideals Beyond Borders. The exhibition area at Qila Rai Pithora was specially curated by the Archaeological Survey of India and bears resonance with Buddhist artistic and architectural patterns. It opened for public viewing from January 4, 2026.