Buddha’s relics at National Museum to be on display in Thailand
The pagoda constructed by the Thai government in Bangkok to enshrine the relics. Ministry of Culture The relics fall under the ‘AA’ (rare) category of antiquities and art treasures and are not meant to be lent for exhibitions, within India…
Avalokiteshvara, saviour of the sea merchant
The multi-headed Avalokiteshvara comes in many forms, including female deities such as Guanyin from China, and marks a time when Buddhism was the religion of tradespeople From Ajanta Cave 1 in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, comes the famous mural of a…
Young artisans revive ancient wooden Buddha statues
It’s a sight to behold ― three young women working intently on a pair of centuries-old, towering wooden statues. They are chipping away at a sun-faded coat of paint in one corner of the workshop, and using resin to fill…
Kushinagar, the archaeological dig where Buddha attained ‘mahaparinirvan’
A small shrine at the place of Buddha’s last meal in Faizal Nagar (Fazilnagar) Kushinagar is the place where Gautam Buddha chose to die and attend mahaparinirvan — the Sanskrit term which means nirvana after death. Today, Kushinagar is a…
A trip to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, on the India-Nepal border
The Maya Devi Temple has a pond that dates back to the time of Lord Siddhartha’s birth A statue of infant Buddha in the Lumbini complex Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha. Today, Lumbini is located in Nepal and along…
Japan. Temple’s ancient Buddhist statue turns heads with hidden images
FUKUYAMA, Hiroshima Prefecture–The hollowed out head of an ancient Buddhist statue kept at the Myooin temple here revealed sheet after sheet of “washi” traditional paper adorned with images of the revered religious figure. The discovery followed the dismantling of the Maitreya…