Buddha sacred relics reach Tawang

The 'sacred relics' of Lord Buddha arrived at Tawang today from National Museum, New Delhi for a week-long exposition at centuries old Ganden Namgyel Lhatse Monastery, popularly known as Tawang Monastery from November 17.
Tawang would be the first ever district in the entire North-eastern states to have the privilege to expo and receive the holy relics, official sources said.
The exposition is being organised by Department of Karmik and Adhyatmik (Chos-Rig) Affairs, of the state government in collaboration with National Museum under union ministry of Culture.
State Tourism Minister Pema Khandu along with DoKA chairman T G Rinpoche accompanied and escorted the Buddha relics all the way from New Delhi to Tawang, sources said.

After the week long darshan in Tawang the relics would be taken to Bomdila in West Kameng district and and Tengapani under Namsai circle in Lohit district, to serve the interest of the large Buddhist community of Arunachal Pradesh.
The relics of Lord Buddha were excavated enclosed in a casket at a hillock at Piprahwa in the district of Basti in Uttar Pradesh in 1898 by an Archaeologist named W C Peppe.

The excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India between 1971 to 1977, resulted in the discovery of two more un-inscribed steatite caskets with 22 sacred bone relics in it.

The sacred relics are in layman's term the mortal remains of the Buddha.
Tawang deputy commissioner Abhishek Dev has expressed confidence over the arrangement made in terms of security and regulation of heavy flow of devotees during the days of darshan.
"To ensure that everyone gets a fair opportunity to see the relics, separate darshan roster has been allotted constituency wise," he said.
Tawang Monastery was founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in the year 1680-81. It stands atop a mountain, which is 3300 meters high, overlooking the Tawang Chhu Valley.