Buddha’s Sacred Relics Come Home After 127 Years
Piprahwa Buddha relics return to India after 127 years (Image Bhawna Malik)
The Piprahwa Relics complete a century long journey back home after an intense effort launched through public and private partnership.
By Bhawna Malik
New Delhi, January 12, 2026 — After more than a century, sacred relics associated with Lord Buddha finally returned to India, marking a moment of deep spiritual, historical, and cultural significance. The return of the Piprahwa relics after 127 years is being seen not merely as the recovery of ancient artefacts, but as the homecoming of a timeless legacy that shaped India’s spiritual identity and influenced the world.
The relics trace their origin to Piprahwa, in present-day Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, near the ancient city of Kapilavastu where Prince Siddhartha Gautama spent his early years. In 1898, an excavation led by British official William Claxton Peppé uncovered a stone casket containing bone fragments, crystal and soapstone urns, and precious offerings.
An inscription in Brahmi script identified the remains as relics of the Buddha, enshrined by the Sakya clan, his own community.
While many of the relics were later housed in Indian museums, a significant portion remained with the Peppé family and eventually travelled overseas during the colonial era. For decades, these sacred objects remained outside India, largely inaccessible to the land where Buddhism was born.
The turning point came in 2025, when a collection of Piprahwa relics and associated artefacts surfaced at an international auction. The proposed sale triggered strong reactions from historians, Buddhist organisations, and the Indian government, who asserted that the relics were not private collectibles but part of India’s inalienable cultural and spiritual heritage. Swift diplomatic and legal efforts led to the auction being halted.
In a rare public-private collaboration, the relics were ultimately acquired and brought back to India, ensuring their preservation and public access. Their return was welcomed across the country and by Buddhist communities worldwide as a historic act of cultural restitution.
For millions of Buddhists, relics are not mere archaeological remains. They are objects of reverence, symbolising the Buddha’s presence, teachings, and path of compassion. Their return reinforces India’s role as the spiritual heart of Buddhism and strengthens cultural ties with Buddhist nations across Asia.
Beyond faith, the event carries broader significance. It highlights India’s growing efforts to reclaim cultural treasures displaced during colonial rule and underscores the importance of ethical stewardship of heritage. The return also sparks renewed interest in India’s Buddhist sites, from Lumbini and Bodh Gaya to Sarnath and Kushinagar.
After 127 years, the relics have returned—not just to Indian soil, but to the collective memory and conscience of a civilisation that once gave the world the path of enlightenment.
The Exhibition ‘The Light and The Lotus—Relics of the Awakened One’ displaying Buddha’s relics is at Rai Pithora Cultural Complex, New Delhi daily from 9 AM-9 PM.
Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn
About The Author
