New Delhi. More than 1.7 crore devotees arrived at the exhibition of holy remains of Lord Buddha held for a month in many cities of Vietnam. Officials gave this information on Monday. The sacred remains established in a Vihar in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, reached the city of Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam on May 2. In this regard, a senior official said that after widespread spiritual experience during the exhibition in Vietnam, the remains returned to India by Indian Air Force aircraft on the night of June 2.
Vietnam organized a grand ceremony on the occasion of United Nations Vesak Day. During this time, the sacred remains of Lord Buddha were taken to Vietnam for the exhibition.
The Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Monday, “Lakhs of devotees visited the sacred relic of Lord Buddha in this exhibition held in Vietnam. This was a spiritual experience for the devotees, who took part in the historical worship pilgrimage of the sacred relics of Buddha from India. ”
The ministry said in a statement, “The journey, passing through several prestigious places from south to north of Vietnam, attracted more than 1.78 crore devotees. This intense performance of reverence and cultural solidarity worked to unite Buddhists and spiritual seekers.
According to data shared by the ministry, 18,77,000 devotees came to the Income Than Tam Math of Ho Chi Minh City from May 3 to 8, from 17 to 19 May, more than 2 million devotees came to Tam Chuka Pagoda in Ha Naam Province and more than 70 lakh devotees came to Quan Suu Pagoda in Hanoi on 13 to 17 May. At the same time, 2 million people were involved in the central procession. The ministry said in a earlier statement on 30 May, “The exhibition was originally to end on 21 May but the exhibition was extended till June 2 at the special request of the Vietnam government in view of the spiritual spirit of the people, the enthusiasm of the devotees.
The ministry said that the delegation of the Government of India led by Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, along with senior Indian monks, formally received these remains at the Palam Air Force Station in the presence of officials of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). The sacred remains of Lord Buddha were taken from Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad to Vietnam by special aircraft of the Indian Air Force. Holy relics have special significance for the Buddhist community around the world and their first performance in Vietnam. After reaching Delhi, holy remains will be kept for public performance in the National Museum for one day from the morning of Tuesday (June 3).
A formal prayer meeting will be held in the afternoon by senior monks, General Secretary of the International Buddhist Confederation and representatives of the diplomatic party. These remains will leave Delhi on Wednesday (June 4). The sacred remains will be taken to Sarnath via Varanasi, where they will be formally replaced at Moolgandh Kuti Vihar. With this, this historic international pilgrimage which strengthened the eternal message of peace and compassion embodied by Buddha will end.
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