India to Send Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka for Public Exposition from 4 February 2026

Key facts

• The Holy Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha, currently enshrined at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, will be taken to Sri Lanka for a public exposition in Colombo from 4 to 10 February 2026.
• The relics will be transported with full state honours aboard a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• A high-level Indian delegation led by the Governor of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, and the Deputy Chief Minister (CM) of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghavi, will accompany the sacred relics.
• The relics will be enshrined for public veneration at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, a significant Buddhist institution in Sri Lanka.
• The Devnimori Relics originate from an archaeological site near Shamlaji in the Aravalli district of Gujarat, first explored in 1957 by Prof. S N Chowdhry.
• The relic casket is made of green schist and features inscriptions in Brahmi Script and Sanskrit language reading dashabala sharira nilaya, meaning the abode of the Buddha’s bodily relic.
• The casket contains a copper box with organic material including holy ashes, silk cloth, and beads.
• According to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), India has previously conducted similar expositions in Thailand, Mongolia, Vietnam, the Russian Federation, and Bhutan.