Historic 10-day exposition of Holy Relics of Lord Buddha's chief disciples concludes in Mongolia

The Holy Relics of Lord Buddha's two chief disciples, Arhant Sariputra and Arhant Maudgalyayana, returned to India after a highly successful 10-day exposition at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The exposition, held from 31 May to 9 June 2026, was organised by the National Museum of India under the Ministry of Culture, in association with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka and the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), at the request of the monastery. It opened on the auspicious occasion of Mongolian Buddha Purnima. Around one lakh devotees from across Mongolia, a country with a population of about 3.4 million, paid homage to the sacred Relics. The event was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the State Visit of Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa to India in October 2025. The Relics enjoy Head-of-State status in terms of protocol and security. They were carried to and from Mongolia aboard Indian Air Force special flights, with the outbound delegation led by the Governor of Assam, Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya, and the return delegation led by the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena. So far these Relics have been sent only to Thailand and Mongolia. Special exhibitions on Buddhism were also held alongside the exposition, which deepened the centuries-old civilisational and spiritual ties between India and Mongolia rooted in Buddhism.