At the official request of the Vietnamese government and on the recommendation of the Committee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, the Indian government has agreed to extend the enshrinement of the Buddha relics in Vietnam beyond May 21.
The Indian Embassy has also requested a detailed timetable of the next enshrinement location to facilitate logistical arrangements, including visa extensions for the accompanying Indian officials and monks, as well as ceremony planning and security coordination.
The Indian national treasure of the Buddha, the Buddha’s relics, have been on display in Vietnam since May 2, organized by the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha with the joint approval of the Vietnamese and Indian governments. This is only the fourth time that the Buddha’s relics have been transferred out of India.
From May 2 to 21, the Buddha’s relics were placed in four major religious sites in Vietnam: the Holy Trinity Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Dan Mountain in Tay Ninh Province, the Avalokitesvara Temple in Hanoi, and the Tri Thuy Pagoda in Henan Province.
The event attracted a large number of people to visit, with tens of thousands of Buddhists and believers visiting every day, especially at the Sam Thuy Pagoda, which was originally scheduled to be the last stop from May 17 to 20.
Due to the strong public interest and religious needs, the organizing committee announced on the evening of May 19 that the installation activities at Sam Thuy Pagoda would be extended to May 21. Now, with India’s consent, the Buddha relics will remain in Vietnam until June 2.
The extension is the result of a direct appeal from the Vietnamese Prime Minister to the Indian Prime Minister, who emphasized the deep cultural and religious significance of the Buddha relics for Vietnamese Buddhists.
The Indian side expressed support for this and is currently coordinating with the Vietnamese side to arrange the next phase of the exhibition.
