Leh, May 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated the sacred holy relics exposition of Tathagata Buddha and the 2569th Buddha Purnima celebrations in Leh during his two-day visit to Ladakh.
The function was held at Jivetsal in the Photang-Choglamsar area of Leh town, officials said.
The revered Piprahwa relics of Tathagata Buddha, ancient sacred remains and associated objects linked to Gautama Buddha discovered at Piprahwa in the present-day Uttar Pradesh near the Nepal border, arrived in Leh on Wednesday.
Shah inaugurated the exposition of sacred Buddha relics by observing traditional religious rituals, officials said.
They said that during the ceremony, Shah bowed reverently before the relics of Buddha to pay his respects.
The ‘Mandala’ offering was part of the rituals performed.
The ‘Sumba’ offering, considered among the highest forms of spiritual and material offerings, was also conducted.
The ritual includes offerings to the idol, religious scriptures, and the stupa. The idol symbolises the body of Tathagata Buddha and is dedicated to the long life of enlightened beings. The religious scriptures represent the preservation and dissemination of sacred teachings, symbolising the speech of Tathagata Buddha. The stupa signifies purity and enlightenment, symbolising the mind of the Tathagata Buddha.
Following the completion of these offerings, the home minister proceeded to light the ceremonial lamp at the Buddha statue, marking the formal inauguration of the exposition, officials said.
The relics were brought from Delhi to Leh in a special Indian Air Force aircraft by Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Khenpo Thinlas Chosal of Matho Monastery.
Officials said the relics would remain available for public veneration at Jivetsal from May 2 to 10, followed by an exposition in Zanskar on May 11 and 12, and thereafter at the Dharma Centre in Leh from May 13 to 14, before being flown back to Delhi on May 15.
Jivetsal has been designated as the main venue for public exposition of the relics beginning Friday, which marks the 2569th Buddha Purnima celebrations.
Leh town wore a festive look with extensive beautification measures undertaken ahead of the occasion.
Shah will also lay the foundation stone of a 10,000-litre-per-day capacity dairy plant in Kargil from the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies in Leh and will launch a series of dairy development initiatives aimed at boosting milk production and self-reliance in Ladakh.
The projects include mobile milk testing laboratories and modern milk cooling systems as part of efforts to usher in a “white revolution” in the Union Territory.
BJP leaders and workers from Kargil, led by party vice-president Haji Anayat Ali, welcomed the home minister on his arrival in Leh on Thursday.
