Four holy relics of Lord Buddha accompanied by a 25-member delegation, led by Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, reached Mongolia on Monday for an 11-day exposition.
The holy relics were received ceremoniously and with great reverence at the Ulaanbaatar International Airport by Ch Nomin, Culture Minister of Mongolia, Saranchimeg, MP/Chairperson of India Mongolia Friendship Group, Khamba Nomun Khan, Advisor to the President of Mongolia, and a large number of monks, The Culture Ministry said in a statement.
Rijiju said the historical relations between India and Mongolia will further strengthen with the arrival of Kapilvastu Relics in Mongolia. He maintained that through the delegation India is carrying Buddha's message of peace to the world.
Rijiju also informed that the main Buddha statue in the Gandan Monastery was gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 to the people of Mongolia and it was installed in 2018.
He said that the people of Mongolia enjoy a strong bond with India and look up to India as a source of wisdom.
The holy relics were thereafter welcomed at the Gandan Monastery ceremoniously amidst prayers and Buddhist chants. A large number of Mongolian people gathered to pay their respects to the sacred Buddha relics. The relics were handed over to the Gandan Monastery in the presence of Buddhist monks for safekeeping ahead of its 11-day exposition beginning Tuesday.
The relics left Delhi with the delegation Sunday evening after a customary ceremony. These are among the 22 special relics kept in the National Museum of the Culture Ministry.