The Buddha relic officially returned to New Delhi on June 2, marking the successful conclusion of a historic month-long spiritual journey to Vietnam.
The precious relic was transported by a special Indian Air Force plane, led by a high-level delegation from the Indian government, including Hari Babu Kambampati, Governor of Odisha, and prominent figures in the Indian Buddhist community.
On June 3, the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) held a special ceremony at the National Museum in New Delhi to review the journey of the Buddha relic.
Participants emphasized the profound spiritual significance of the pilgrimage and highly praised the joint efforts of the authorities, the Buddhist community and the IBC in promoting and protecting Buddhist values.
In his speech, Tran Thanh Thong, Counselor of the Vietnamese Embassy in India, thanked the Indian government and the IBC for their close cooperation and praised India’s goodwill in extending the pilgrimage to Vietnam from 20 days to 30 days to meet the wishes of local Buddhists.
The Buddha’s relics, which were found at the Buddhist sanctuary of Nagarjuna Konda in Andhra Pradesh and kept at the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara temple in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, arrived in Vietnam in early May.
Over a month, the relics embarked on a profound spiritual journey, passing through nine major cities and provinces, from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to Quang Ninh in the north, attracting more than 17.8 million devotees.
