Buddha's Sacred Relics Draw 11,969 Devotees at Bomdila

The Ministry of Culture's exposition of the Holy Relics of Shakyamuni Buddha at the Thubchog Gatsel Ling Monastery, better known locally as the Lower Gompa, in Bomdila of Arunachal Pradesh has turned the hill town into a place of pilgrimage. In the first two days alone 11,969 devotees reached the monastery to bow before the Relics and seek blessings, a turnout that speaks of how deeply the Relics are revered by Buddhists.

Who has organised it

The exposition is a joint effort. The Ministry of Culture leads it, the National Museum in New Delhi holds the Relics in its custody, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh has made the arrangements on the ground, and the International Buddhist Confederation, also based in New Delhi, has brought in the monastic community. Public Darshan at the Lower Gompa continues until 13 November 2026.

Day-wise plan for devotees

So that crowds move in an orderly way, the remaining days have been allotted constituency by constituency and category by category.

On every scheduled day the Relics may be viewed from half past eight in the morning until six in the evening.

Where the Relics travel next

A ceremonial send-off has been fixed for 14 November 2026, when the Relics leave Bomdila for Namsai district, the next stop on the journey. They will be enshrined at the Golden Pagoda in Namsai for public Darshan from 14 to 20 November 2026. The Relics then go back to the National Museum in New Delhi on 21 November 2026.

Why it matters

Expositions of this kind form part of the Centre's wider work of caring for India's Buddhist inheritance and placing it before people. By carrying the Relics to districts far from the capital, the Government lets ordinary devotees see what is otherwise kept behind museum glass, firms up cultural and spiritual ties at home and abroad, and keeps India's contribution to Buddhist thought and philosophy in public view. Arunachal Pradesh, with its large Buddhist population along the Himalayan belt, is a natural halt on such a route.