Sacred relics of Shakyamuni Buddha, held at the National Museum, New Delhi, are currently on public exposition at Gaden Namgyal Lhatse (Tawang Monastery) in Arunachal Pradesh, drawing long queues of monks, senior citizens and devotees from Tawang and neighbouring regions. The relics were ceremonially received by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, with Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat present alongside religious leaders. From Tawang the exposition moves to TGL Monastery in Bomdila and then to the Golden Pagoda in Namsai, before the relics return to New Delhi on 21 November 2026.
Two exhibitions are running alongside the veneration. The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) is presenting 'Unearthing the Sacred Piprahwa', which traces the archaeological history of the Piprahwa relics and their discovery in 1898. The National Museum has curated a second exhibition, 'Crossroads of Dhamma', charting Buddhism's historical, artistic and cultural evolution across Asia.
Separately, India-origin Buddhist relics are to be enshrined in 108 Jangchub Chortens being constructed under Project 108 along the Mau Chhu River in Gelephu, Bhutan. Each chorten will stand roughly 15 metres tall, with 108 metres between successive structures. The number is not incidental. In the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, 108 symbolises spiritual completeness, cosmic balance and the purification of karma, and in some Tibetan Buddhist traditions the Kangyur, the principal collection of sacred Buddhist scriptures, is arranged in 108 volumes.
A Jangchub Chorten is the Tibetan and Bhutanese term for a stupa of enlightenment, commemorating the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment and the triumph of wisdom over ignorance. Once consecrated, it is regarded as equivalent to the living Buddha. The relics enshrined within form part of the zung, understood as the living embodiment of the Buddha's enlightened body, speech and mind, and may include thangkhas, statues, precious stones, rolled mantra scrolls known as dharanis, and relics of enlightened beings.
Stupa architecture rests on five canonical elements: the anda, a hemispherical dome representing the cosmic egg; the harmika, a square railing above the dome symbolising the abode of the gods; the yashti, a central pillar representing the cosmic axis; the chhatra, umbrella-like discs denoting spiritual sovereignty; and the medhi, the raised platform used for pradakshina, or clockwise circumambulation. Over centuries this form spread across Asia and evolved into Tibetan chortens, Sri Lankan dagobas and East Asian pagodas.
Project 108 is intended to provide a spiritual foundation for the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), envisioned as a global economic hub blending spirituality, sustainability and economic development. The choice to enshrine India-origin relics at the heart of this project is not merely ceremonial. It places Buddhist heritage, and by extension India's role as the land of the Buddha's birth, at the centre of what Bhutan hopes will become a landmark development node.
Read together, the Tawang exposition and Project 108 show how India uses Buddhist cultural assets, relics, institutions like the IBC, and the National Museum's collections, to sustain and deepen bilateral ties with a neighbour where the Vajrayana tradition is both a living faith and a pillar of national identity. Shared heritage, carefully activated, is the thread running through both events.
With reference to the Tawang exposition of the sacred relics of Shakyamuni Buddha, consider the following statements:
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: In the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, the number 108 symbolises spiritual completeness, cosmic balance and the purification of karma.
Statement-II: The Kangyur, the principal collection of sacred Buddhist scriptures, is arranged in 108 volumes in some Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Consider the following pairs:
Architectural element of a stupa : Description
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
