Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the wisdom and path shown by Bhagwan Buddha belongs to all mankind and his sacred relics are not mere artefacts but part of India’s revered heritage.
Inaugurating a major international exhibition of sacred relics of Piprahwa, which were discovered in 1898, Prime Minister Modi said Lord Buddha it belongs to all and unites all people.
Here are the best updates from PM Modi’s address.
-“For India, sacred relics Lord Buddha they are not mere artefacts, they are part of our revered heritage and an integral part of our civilization,” the Prime Minister said at a function here in the presence of Buddhist scholars, diplomats and other guests.
He said that after waiting for one and a quarter century, India’s heritage has returned and India’s sacred heritage has returned home. The wisdom and path shown by Bhagwan Buddha belongs to all mankind, he said.
“India is not only the custodian of Lord Buddha’s heritage but the bearer of his traditions,” PM Modi said.
-When I was the Commander-in-Chief of Gujarat, thousands of relics related to Lord Buddha were discovered there and today our government is protecting them and imparting related knowledge to the present generation, the Prime Minister said.
“Buddhist sites today are being modernized and new facilities are being built for pilgrims,” he said. “We are trying to bring the Pali language related to Lord Buddha to the masses and that is why it has been accorded the status of a classical language,” PM Modi said.
-PM Modi also thanked Godrej Group for ensuring the return of Buddha’s relics to his homeland. The Piprahwa relics occupy a central place in the archaeological study of early Buddhism. The relics are among the oldest and most historically significant sites directly associated with Bhagwan Buddha, according to an official statement.
The wisdom and path shown by Bhagwan Buddha belongs to all mankind.
Archaeological evidence links the Piprahwa site to ancient Kapilavastu, widely identified as the place where Bhagwan Buddha spent his early life before renunciation.
-Lord Buddha had a profound impact on my life. I was born in a city that was a major center of Buddhist learning, the prime minister said. “Sarnath, my Karmabhoomi, is the place where the Lord Buddha gave his first teachings… I tried to spread the legacy of the Lord Buddha wherever I went, so I took the Bodhi plant when I went to China, Japan, Mongolia,” said Modi.
