A Light That Still Walks With Us

— Anindita

The Piprahwa relics exhibition (“The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One”) showcases ancient Buddhist artefacts, including sacred relics brought back to India after over a century. It is being held within the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex inside the fort grounds. Special infrastructure (exhibition space/temporary museum) has been set up at Qila Rai Pithora for this purpose.

On 9th January 2026, I walked into the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex carrying curiosity, but I walked out carrying something far deeper — a quiet sense of continuity. The Piprahwa relics exhibition, “The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One”, is not merely an exhibition; it is an experience that gently rearranges one’s inner compass.

To stand before relics of the Buddha — returned to India after more than a century — is to encounter time not as history, but as presence. These fragments of faith and philosophy are not grand in scale, yet their power is immense. They remind us that ideas rooted in compassion, restraint, and mindfulness do not age. They wait patiently, for civilizations to rediscover them.

What moved me equally was the thoughtful curation. Sculptures and artefacts drawn from the National Museum, Delhi and the Indian Museum, Kolkata create a layered, holistic narrative. Stone, metal, and earth come together to tell stories of devotion, aesthetics, and everyday spirituality. This is not Buddhism frozen behind glass; this is Buddhism as lived culture — tactile, human, and deeply contextual.

The setting itself matters. Within the historic grounds of Qila Rai Pithora, Delhi’s first city, the exhibition feels anchored in soil that has witnessed centuries of belief systems, migrations, conflicts, and reconciliations. There is something profoundly appropriate about these relics resting within walls that have seen empires rise and fall. It quietly suggests that while power structures change, wisdom endures.

As I observed the visitors, what stayed with me was not the crowd, but the mood. Students from different parts of India, families, elderly visitors, scholars — all moved slowly, attentively. There was no rush. Faces reflected curiosity, reverence, and something close to awe. Many looked genuinely inspired, as though encountering ideas they had heard of, but were now feeling for the first time.

In a world driven by spectacle, this exhibition offers stillness. In a time of noise, it offers pause. It reminds us that learning does not always shout; sometimes it whispers. And those whispers — of non-violence, balance, interdependence — feel urgently relevant today.

As an educator, designer, and cultural observer, I felt grateful that such an exhibition exists in the heart of our city, accessible to the young. It is heartening to see heritage presented not as nostalgia, but as living knowledge. This is how museums should function — not as repositories of the past alone, but as bridges to deeper self-awareness.

I left the complex with a quiet conviction: that the Buddha’s light was never lost. It simply waited for us to slow down enough to see it again. 

The #Piprahwa Relics Exhibition

The exhibition space feels quiet and peaceful, not crowded or flashy. The lighting is soft and helps you focus on each relic and sculpture without distraction. The colours and materials used inside are simple and earthy, which makes the place feel calm. Displays are well spaced, so visitors can move slowly and take their time. Overall, the setting feels respectful and thoughtfully designed, making it easy to connect with what is on display.