The holy relics of the Lord Buddha, his two disciples Arahat Sariputra and Arahat Maudgalayana arrived in Thailand from India on Thursday and will be displayed in the kingdom from February 23 to March 18.
Their grand ceremony will be held on Saturday at 4pm at the Sanam Luang Royal Ceremony. This auspicious occasion coincides with the day of Magha Puja on February 24.
The holy relics of the Lord Buddha and his two disciples have temporarily arrived in Thailand to be enshrined as part of a grand auspicious ceremony to mark His Majesty the King’s 6th cycle birthday on July 28, 2024.
This is the first time in history that the sacred relics of Buddha and his disciples are temporarily stored in Thailand.
They will be housed in traditional Thai-style pagoda-shaped containers specially built by artisans from the Fine Arts Department. In addition, Thai traditional architecture has been built as a temporary shrine to house the holy relics at Sanam Luang.
His Highness Supreme Patriarch Sumedt Phra Aryawongsagatanana will preside over the event, which will be led by Prime Minister Surah Thawisin.
Subsequently, the public is allowed to pay their respects from February 24 to March 3 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. The holy relics will then be kept in three provinces before being returned to India.
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In the northern region, the relics will be opened for public worship from 5 to 8 March 2024 at the Royal Pavilion (Hor Kham Luang), Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai Province. In the northeastern region, they will be seen from March 10 to 13 at Wat Mahawanaram in Ubon Ratchathani province, and in the southern region from March 15 to 18 at Wat Mahathat Wachiramongkol in Krabi province.
Sending holy relics abroad is a historic event as it is not common for them to leave the country. The Government of India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has agreed to send the Buddha relics to Thailand in view of the paramount importance of His Majesty the King’s Grand Auspicious Ceremony and to strengthen the close and friendly relations between the two countries.
In addition, Indian residents in Thailand have strengthened their involvement in business, politics, education and cultural soft power of Thailand, believing this to be a significant milestone in the historical relationship between India and Thailand.
