From Ancient Piprahwa To Contemporary Delhi: ‘The Light And The Lotus’ Exposition

The chants of 'Om Mani Padme Hum', the Buddhist mantra, fills the air as you step into the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex in south Delhi. A building on the sprawling, treelined complex is the venue of the exposition, ‘The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One’, which showcases the sacred Piprahwa relics believed to be associated with the mortal remains of the Buddha. The beautifully curated exposition, organised by the Ministry of Culture, is slated to run till June 2026. The display space curated by the Archeological Society of India (ASI) incorporates Buddhist architectural patterns. Visitors at the venue get to marvel at several rare objects, including bone fragments said to be of the Buddha, gems, caskets, ornaments and ritual objects, and a large monolithic stone coffer which held the relics and caskets excavated at Piprahwa (Uttar Pradesh) in 1898 by a British engineer named W.C. Peppé. The excavation site is identified with ancient Kapilavastu, the Buddha’s homeland. 

The relics, enshrined by the Buddha’s followers at Piprahwa around the 3rd century BC, have a long and colourful history. Following their excavation in the late 19th century, a portion was gifted to the King of Siam, another taken to England, and a portion preserved at the Indian Museum in Kolkata. Later, ASI excavations during 1971-77 uncovered more bone relics from the site, which were housed at the National Museum, Delhi. 

In the summer of 2025, a collection of Piprahwa relics (mostly jewels and gems) that was with the Peppé family was listed for auction at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong. When news of the auction reached Indian shores, the Ministry of Culture stepped in since the artifacts are an indelible part of India’s heritage. A repatriation model, involving a public-private partnership, was put together. The Godrej Industries Group partnered with the Government of India to repatriate the relics back to India.

‘The Light and the Lotus’ is a landmark event since it brings together for the first time the Piprahwa relics that were repatriated after over a century with relics and archaeological materials from Piprahwa that are housed in the collections of the National Museum, Delhi and the Indian Museum, Kolkata. These relics are of immense spiritual significance to the Buddhist community across the world. They also stand out as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Indian history to date. Both the relics and the setting in which they are displayed are sure to evoke a sense of the sacred in visitors.