Union Minister Kiren Rijiju leaves for Mongolia with Lord Buddha's relics

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju along with a 25-member delegation on Sunday left for Mongolia from Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad with four Holy Relics of Lord Buddha and said that the move will give a message of peace to the world.

Rijiju will be in Mongolia for an 11-day exposition of the relics as part of celebrations of the Mongolian Buddh Purnima falling on June 14.

"This will give a message of peace to the world. The friendship between India and Mongolia is very old. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mongolia in 2015, the bond between both countries have become very strong," said Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.

Recalling the visit of the Prime Minister to Mongolia in 2015, the Union Minister had earlier said that PM Modi was the first-ever Prime Minister of India to visit Mongolia, and taking the relics to Mongolia is an extension of the vision of the PM to revive the relations with the countries with whom India had cultural and spiritual ties since centuries ago.

The Holy Relics will be displayed at the Batsagaan Temple within the premises of Gandan Monastery. The Holy Buddha Relics, currently housed in the National Museum, are known as the 'Kapilvastu Relics' since they are from a site in Bihar first discovered in 1898 which is believed to be the ancient city of Kapilvastu.