Leh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Ladakh on Thursday to attend the first-ever international exposition of holy relics of Lord Buddha in India, officials said.
Shah was received by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport here. Senior officials of the police and civil administration were also present.
During his two-day visit, Shah will pay respect to the sacred relics of Lord Buddha on the Buddha Purnima, which falls on Friday.
He will also lay the foundation stone for a 10 TLPD (thousand litres per day) capacity dairy plant in Kargil and attend other dairy-related programmes.
In an X post on Wednesday, Shah said it was a moment of profound good fortune for him.
“It is a moment of profound good fortune for me to be attending on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, the first ever international exposition of the holy relics of Lord Buddha, commencing on the 1st of May,” he said.
“In this exposition, devotees from different parts of the world will offer veneration to the relics of Lord Buddha,” he added.
The sacred Piprahwa relics of Buddha were brought to Leh in a special Indian Air Force aircraft on Wednesday by Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Khenpo Thinlas Chosal of Matho Monastery.
The sacred relics were accorded a ceremonial reception on arrival, with people pouring out of their homes and gathering along the roads to pay respect.
The exposition to be held in the first two weeks of May marks the beginning of a rare and significant spiritual occasion in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Piprahwa relics refer to the ancient remains and associated objects linked to Gautama Buddha, discovered at Piprahwa, an archaeological site in the present-day Uttar Pradesh, near the Nepal border.
The relics have gained renewed global significance in recent years, especially after a collection of associated gems and offerings was repatriated to India in July 2025 from a British family and a private collection, ending over a century of colonial possession.
The relics have been exhibited internationally in several countries; this is the first time they have been brought out from their original place of preservation for exposition within India.
The Piprahwa relics have previously been exhibited in countries such as Thailand, Mongolia, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, attracting global attention and devotion, according to an official statement.
In Ladakh, the relics will be open for public veneration at Jivetsal from May 2 to 10. They will subsequently be taken to Zanskar on May 11 and 12, followed by exposition at the Dharma Centre in Leh from May 13 to 14, before being returned to Delhi on May 15, it read.
Amit Shah to launch major dairy projects in Ladakh
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah will inaugurate a series of dairy infrastructure projects in Ladakh on May 1, in a move aimed at strengthening cooperative-led rural development and boosting the region’s dairy sector.
The programme, to be held at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies Leh, will also be attended by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena.
The event will see the inauguration and foundation-laying of several projects aimed at improving milk processing capacity, strengthening cold-chain systems and expanding market access for local dairy farmers.
Among the key initiatives, the Home Minister will lay the foundation stone of a 10 TLPD dairy plant in Kargil and inaugurate dairy processing units in Leh, including facilities for curd and paneer production. A Bulk Milk Cooler system will also be launched to improve milk storage and transportation.
In a push towards digitalisation, an Android-based Automated Milk Collection System (AMCS) app will be introduced to streamline procurement and ensure transparency in payments to farmers.
The programme will also include the flagging off of a mobile milk testing laboratory to support quality assurance at the grassroots level. Additionally, a memorandum of understanding will be signed to enhance marketing of dairy products under established brands, improving returns for local producers.
Progressive dairy farmers from the region will be felicitated during the event, which officials say reflects the government’s broader vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi”—strengthening cooperatives, improving rural livelihoods and driving inclusive growth in remote regions.
