Devnimori Buddha relics return to India after week-long exposition in Sri Lanka

The sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha returned to India on Wednesday on February 11,2026 after a week-long public exposition at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The relics, which were taken abroad for their first international exposition, were escorted back by a high-level Indian delegation led by Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel and Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, along with senior Buddhist monks and officials. The ceremonial departure took place at Bandaranaike International Airport in the presence of Sri Lankan ministers and the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. During the exposition from February 4 to 10, a large number of devotees from across Sri Lanka visited the temple to pay homage. More than one million people participated in the public veneration. Senior Sri Lankan leaders, including the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament and former Presidents, were among those who paid their respects. The Devnimori Relics are named after the Devnimori archaeological site near the Hindu pilgrimage centre of Shamlaji in Gujarat’s Aravalli district.According to a statement by the Indian High Commission in Colombo, the site was first explored in 1957 by eminent archaeologist Prof. S. N. Chowdhry. Excavations revealed significant Buddhist structures and relics, underscoring the spread of Buddhism in western India during the early centuries of the Common Era.