“Sarnath — The sacred land where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon, the Dharmachakra Pravartan”
Lucknow – The sacred relics of Lord Buddha will be unveiled for public viewing at the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara in Sarnath on the auspicious occasion of its 94th anniversary celebrations. The event, scheduled from November 3 to 5, will allow devotees and Buddhist monks from across the world to pay homage to the holy relics.
Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said that Sarnath holds immense significance as the holy site where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon — the Dharmachakra Pravartan. He added that last year saw a large influx of Buddhist devotees for the relic viewing, and this year an even greater turnout is expected.
Monks and devotees from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, and various Indian regions including Kolkata, Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, and the Himalayan states will participate in the celebrations. The event is being jointly organized by the Mahabodhi Society of India (Sarnath Centre) and the Vietnamese Buddhist Association.
The sacred relics of Lord Buddha are displayed twice a year — on Buddha Purnima and Kartik Purnima — for public viewing. Devotees from India and abroad gather to witness and offer prayers to these relics, which represent a living connection to the Enlightened One.
The journey of these relics traces back nearly 2,600 years to Lord Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana, after which his remains were divided into eight parts and enshrined in stupas across India. Later, Emperor Ashoka rediscovered and redistributed these relics across his vast empire to promote the teachings of Buddhism.
Two of these relics are preserved at Mulagandha Kuti Vihara. One was recovered from an ancient stupa in the Gandhara (Taxila) region and was presented to the Mahabodhi Society by the Government of India in 1956, marking the 2,500th year of Buddha’s Mahaparinirvana. The other relic was discovered in Nagarjunakonda, South India, and is enshrined in a sacred vessel. These relics are displayed to devotees twice annually before being reverently reinstalled beneath the Buddha statue.
Minister Jaiveer Singh emphasized that Sarnath occupies a unique place on India’s spiritual map as the birthplace of Buddha’s teachings. “Even today, this sacred land continues to draw devotees and scholars from all corners of the world,” he said.
Highlighting the surge in spiritual tourism, Singh noted that around 28 lakh tourists visited Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh in 2016, while by 2024 the figure had grown to over 84 lakh, marking a nearly 200% increase. In the first half of 2025 alone, nearly 5 lakh tourists visited Sarnath.
Under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government continues to work on expanding facilities, enhancing connectivity, and developing the Buddhist Circuit to make Uttar Pradesh a global destination for Buddhist pilgrimage and heritage tourism.
