India will send Buddha’s sacred relics to Kalmykia, Russia:
The Government of India has announced that the sacred relics of Lord Buddha will be sent to Russia’s Kalmykia Republic for the first-ever public exposition. The event, to be held in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, will run from October 11 to 18, aiming to bless the local Buddhist population and strengthen spiritual and cultural connections.The relics, preserved at the National Museum in New Delhi, are believed to date back to the time of the Shakyamuni Buddha and are among the most venerated in Buddhist traditions.They were excavated from Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh—an archaeological site linked to the ancient kingdom of Kapilavastu.Kalmykia stands out as the only Buddhist-majority region in Europe.Its people, predominantly followers of Tibetan Buddhism, have been revitalizing their spiritual institutions after decades of Soviet-era suppression.Hosting Buddha’s relics is seen as a moment of deep cultural pride and spiritual rejuvenation for the local population.
