News Excerpt:

Four bone fragments of Lord Buddha, also known as Kapilvastu Relics, presently kept in the National Museum, will be taken to Thailand on Thursday.

More details on news:

• Apart from the Kapilavastu relics, the relics of two of Buddha’s disciples, Arahata Sariputra and Arahata Maudgalayana, which are currently in Sanchi, will also be taken to Thailand.
• At first the relics would be kept at the National Museum, Bangkok, and would then be exhibited at five different venues across Thailand for one month.
• The Buddha relics under the care of the National Museum were excavated from Piprahwa in the Siddharthnagar District of Uttar Pradesh, an erstwhile part of the ancient city of Kapilavastu.
• This journey to Thailand follows a similar exposition in Mongolia on the occasion of Mongolia's Buddha Purnima on June 14, 2022.
• Portions of this collection of sacred relics have been earlier taken to Sri Lanka in 1976 and 2012, Mongolia in 1993 and 2022, Singapore in 1994 and 2007, South Korea in 1995 and Thailand also in 1995. 

Importance of the exposition:

• The exposition is a significant development diplomatically for India, and it will go a long way in strengthening the ties between India and Thailand. 
• While in Thailand one can see similarities to Indian culture, the exposition will be welcomed by Buddhists in Thailand. 
• India's strategic focus on leveraging its 'soft power' is evident in these cultural exchanges.

Important for prelims:

• Categorization of the objects/artefacts belonging to the National Museum is done by the National Museum itself and not by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). 
• Buddha relics have been declared “AA” category by an Expert Committee constituted by the National Museum.
• The objects/artefacts of the “AA” category are usually not sent abroad. However, in exceptional cases these relics can be sent abroad with the approval of the Competent Authority.