Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Minority Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the message of Buddha transcends time, geography and borders. He said this after having a ‘darshan’ of Lord Buddha’s sacred relics in Leh, where he arrived earlier in the day.
He paid obeisance to Lord Buddha’s holy relics. After having darshan, he said on X, “Deeply humbled to bow in sacred veneration of the Holy Relics of Tathagata Buddha at Jivetsal, Leh. The arrival of the revered Piprahwa relics in Ladakh is a blessing that transcends time, geography & borders, carrying the living presence of the Tathagata and his eternal message of compassion, wisdom & peace.”
The sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha arrived here on April 29 via an Indian Air Force aircraft for a historic public exposition being held from May 1 to May 14. The relics were received with high honour and reverence at Kushok Bakula Rimpoche Airport.
These revered relics will remain on display in Leh and Zanskar to promote peace and cultural heritage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised the profound spiritual and cultural significance of the Piprahwa Buddha relics, which returned to India after many years.
He highlighted their homecoming, celebrated during Buddha Purnima in 2026, as a testament to preserving India's rich heritage and a boost to cultural tourism. Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a large gathering of devotees here on the inaugural day of the celebrations, coinciding with Buddha Purnima.
HM Shah told the gathering that the sacred relics of Lord Buddha had come to Ladakh after 70 years. He said during those days, very few people must have had darshan since there were no roads, no connectivity and no access between various places in the region.
Appreciating the large turnout of people on the inaugural day, the Union Home Minister said people from Leh and Kargil districts, including followers of other faiths, had come to pay obeisance to Lord Buddha, whose message was as relevant to our times as it was 2,500 years back.
HM Shah said among the Avatars, Buddha is the only one who was born on Buddha Purnima, attained salvation on the same day and gave up physical existence on Buddha Purnima. He said that because of the historic Silk Route, Ladakh was not only the meeting point for trade and commerce, but also for religions and philosophies.