ULAANBAATAR: Underscoring shared Buddhist heritage, the holy relics of the chief disciples of the Buddha - Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Mahamoggallana - arrived in the Mongolian capital on Saturday afternoon for a 10-day public exposition at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery on the occasion of Mongolian Buddha Purnima.
The relics, which enjoy the status of the Head of State in terms of protocol and security, arrived in Ulaanbaatar by a special Indian Air Force (IAF) flight from New Delhi, accompanied by a high level delegation led by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya. The nearly 45-member delegation also includes senior officers and reputed monks from India and Sri Lanka. According to the Indian Embassy in Mongolia, the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) is also actively involved in the organisation of the important exposition.
Together, the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka, National Museum of India under the Ministry of Culture in association with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, brought the holy relics to Mongolia at the request of the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery.
"India and Mongolia are strategic partners and spiritual siblings with deep civilization linkages due to Buddhism. In this context, the exposition is a good opportunity for the followers of Buddhism in Mongolia to pay their tributes to the relics of Lord Buddha's two chief disciples," the Indian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar mentioned. (IANS)
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