Ladakh a living land of dharma for centuries: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday described the return of sacred relics of Lord Buddha to Ladakh after 75 years as a "historic reunion" and said that the Union Territory has remained a "living land of dharma", preserving and nurturing Buddhist knowledge for centuries. Stressing the relevance of Buddha's teachings in modern times, Shah said the message of peace, compassion and the middle path was even more important today than it was 2,500 years ago. Speaking after the inauguration of the sacred holy relics exposition of Tathagata Buddha and the 2569th Buddha Purnima celebrations at Jivetsal in Leh during his two-day visit to Ladakh. "Ladakh has been a living land of dharma for centuries. When the Dalai Lama comes here, he says this land is not merely a geographical land but a living laboratory of Buddhist culture and compassion," Shah said.

Ladakh has shown the monks world wide path of Moksha. pic.twitter.com/eQLcHr9DEc

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 1, 2026

Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena, Ladakh MP Mohamd Haneefa and Rinpoches from different monasteries were present at the event. This is the first time that these sacred relics have been taken out of their permanent location for an exhibition within the country. The sacred exposition of the Holy Relics of Tathagata Buddha is being organised in Ladakh from Friday till 14th May.