Sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha arrive in Sri Lanka with full state honours

• Devnimori relics: bodily relics (sharira) of Gautama Buddha, recovered from an inscribed casket in a 3rd–4th century CE Mahastupa at Devnimori, Gujarat; sent to Sri Lanka for a 7-day public exposition (4–10 Feb 2026) at Gangaramaya Temple, Colombo.
• First-ever international exposition of the Devnimori relics; flown by IAF special aircraft with full State Honours under India–Sri Lanka protocol.
• UPSC relevance: intersection of Buddhist diplomacy / soft power, India–Sri Lanka bilateral, AA-class antiquities under the Antiquities Act, and ancient Indian history (Kshatrapa-era Gujarat).