Buddha's disciples' relics reach Mongolia via IAF flight for 10-day exposition
Synopsis
For only the second time in history — after Thailand in 2024 — the holy relics of the Buddha's two chief disciples have left India, airlifted by the IAF to Mongolia for a 10-day public exposition. The visit, personally announced by PM Modi in October 2025, is both a fulfilment of a diplomatic pledge and a striking act of civilisational outreach between two 'spiritual siblings.'
Key Takeaways
Holy relics of Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Mahamoggallana arrived in Ulaanbaatar on 30 May 2026 via a special IAF IL-76 (Gajraj) flight.
The 10-day exposition at Gandan Tegchenling Monastery runs from 31 May to 10 June 2026 , coinciding with Mongolian Buddha Purnima .
These relics have previously visited only one other country — Thailand in 2024 — making the Mongolia exposition historically significant.
The visit was announced by PM Narendra Modi during Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa's state visit to India in October 2025 .
A nearly 45-member delegation led by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya accompanied the relics.
In June 2022 , India had previously sent Kapilavastu relics to Mongolia for an 11-day exposition — their first visit in 29 years .
The holy relics of Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Mahamoggallana — the two chief disciples of the Buddha — arrived in Ulaanbaatar on Saturday, 30 May 2026, aboard a special Indian Air Force (IAF) flight from New Delhi, for a 10-day public exposition at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery. The visit, timed to coincide with Mongolian Buddha Purnima, marks only the second country outside India to receive these particular relics — after Thailand in 2024.
The Delegation and Protocol
The relics, accorded the protocol and security status of a Head of State, were escorted by a nearly 45-member high-level delegation led by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya. The delegation includes senior officers and reputed monks from India and Sri Lanka. The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) is also actively involved in organising the exposition, according to the Indian Embassy in Mongolia.
The relics were brought to Mongolia through a joint effort by the Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka, the National Museum of India under the Ministry of Culture, and the Government of Madhya Pradesh, at the request of the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery. On the sidelines, the National Museum of India and the IBC will also host a special exhibition on Buddhism.
A Promise Fulfilled by PM Modi
The exposition was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the state visit of Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa to India in October 2025. Addressing a joint press conference at Hyderabad House, New Delhi on 14 October, Modi stated: 'I am pleased to announce that next year, the holy relics of two great disciples of Lord Buddha — Sariputra and Maudgalyayana — will be sent from India to Mongolia. We will also send a Sanskrit teacher to Gandan Monastery to study the Buddhist texts there in depth and carry forward the ancient tradition of knowledge.'
The Indian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar noted: 'India and Mongolia are strategic partners and spiritual siblings with deep civilisation linkages due to Buddhism. The exposition is a good opportunity for the followers of Buddhism in Mongolia to pay their tributes to the relics of Lord Buddha's two chief disciples.'
Significance of the Relics
Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Mahamoggallana were born on the same day in adjacent villages in the Magadha region, near present-day Nalanda — Sariputta in Upatissa village and Mahamoggallana in Kolita village. Sariputta is revered across the Buddhist world as the supreme exemplar of wisdom, analytical insight, and doctrinal mastery. Both are regarded as pillars of the early Sangha and carriers of the Buddha's Dhamma.
Notably, these relics have previously travelled to only one other country — Thailand in 2024 — lending the Mongolia exposition exceptional significance. The IAF's IL-76 (Gajraj) aircraft carried the relics, with the Air Force describing the mission as 'not just priceless relics, but faith, heritage and friendship across continents' in a post on X.
Historical Context: India-Mongolia Buddhist Ties
This is not the first time India has used sacred Buddhist relics to reinforce civilisational ties with Mongolia. In June 2022, four sacred Kapilavastu relics of the Buddha were flown from the National Museum of India to Ulaanbaatar for an 11-day exposition — their first visit to Mongolia in 29 years — aboard a C-17 transport aircraft, accompanied by the then Minister of Law and Justice, Kiren Rijiju. That exposition was held alongside Mongolia's own revered Buddha Tooth relic at the same monastery.
The deep historical resonance was captured as far back as 1978, when the then External Affairs Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee observed that Mongolia had preserved in translation vast collections of Sanskrit texts on philosophy, poetry, logic, and astronomy 'lost by us over centuries.' The current exposition, running from 31 May to 10 June 2026, is expected to draw devotees from across Mongolia and further consolidate what both governments describe as a bond of 'warmth and spirituality.'
Point of View
It operates at a civilisational register that no formal treaty can replicate, and Mongolia's deep Buddhist identity makes it uniquely receptive. The fact that these relics have now left India for only the second time in recorded history — and that the IAF flew them in a named aircraft with full Head-of-State protocol — signals that New Delhi is deliberately elevating this beyond a cultural exchange into a strategic statement about India's role as the custodian of Buddhist heritage in Asia. The pattern, from the 2022 Kapilavastu relics to this 2026 exposition, suggests a deliberate sequencing: each visit raises the stakes, and each generates goodwill that bilateral diplomacy alone cannot buy.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which relics arrived in Mongolia in May 2026?
The holy relics of Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Mahamoggallana — the two chief disciples of the Buddha — arrived in Ulaanbaatar on 30 May 2026 for a 10-day public exposition. They are housed at the National Museum of India and were brought to Mongolia at the request of the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery.
Where will the relics be displayed in Mongolia?
The relics are being displayed at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar from 31 May to 10 June 2026, coinciding with Mongolian Buddha Purnima. Devotees from across Mongolia are expected to visit the monastery during this period.
Why is this exposition considered historically significant?
These particular relics — of Arahant Sariputta and Arahant Mahamoggallana — have previously left India for only one other country, Thailand, in 2024. The Mongolia exposition is therefore only the second international display of these relics, giving it exceptional religious and diplomatic weight.
Who announced the relic exposition and when?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the exposition during Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa's state visit to India on 14 October 2025. Modi described it as part of efforts to strengthen the 'spiritual sibling' relationship between India and Mongolia through their shared Buddhist heritage.
Has India sent Buddhist relics to Mongolia before?
Yes. In June 2022, four sacred Kapilavastu relics of the Buddha were flown from the National Museum of India to Ulaanbaatar for an 11-day exposition — their first visit to Mongolia in 29 years. That mission was also conducted via an IAF transport aircraft and was described as a highly successful event.
