By Rajnish Singh

Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), May 4 (ANI): With just two days remaining until the official commencement of the Holy Buddha relic exposition, the city is already witnessing a surge in spiritual fervor and international attention.

On Day 2 of the grand event, the venue reported an impressive cumulative footfall of 3.5 lakh devotees, reflecting the deep reverence and anticipation surrounding the sacred occasion.

'Ho Chi Minh City shines on Day -2 of the Holy Buddha Relic Exposition with a cumulative footfall 3.5 lakhs. Delegates of UNDV across the globe arriving today add ethnic glamour to the devotee participation,' International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) shares the footfall on its X.

Adding to the vibrant atmosphere, international delegates arriving for the United Nations Day of Vesak (UNDV), 2025 celebrations are infusing the city with rich cultural diversity. Their presence is lending an added layer of ethnic glamour to the spiritual gathering, as devotees from around the world converge in shared reverence for the holy relics of the Buddha.

The city is brimming with devotional energy, with colorful cultural showcases, spiritual discourses, and preparations in full swing, promising a truly historic exposition in the days to come.

The sacred relics of the Buddha are being ceremoniously enshrined, venerated, and worshiped here at Thanh Tam Monastery in Ho Chi Minh City. The relics, that reached here from National Museum in Delhi on May 2, will be kept here till May 8, 2025 (coinciding with the United Nations Day of Vesak 2025).

Following the initial display, the Buddha relics will be transported to Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh Province, a revered spiritual pilgrimage site in southern Vietnam, where they will be exhibited from May 9 to 13.

The relics will then be moved to Quan Su Monastery in Hanoi, the central headquarters of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, for public viewing from May 14 to 18. The final stop will be Tam Chuc Monastery in Ha Nam Province--recognized as Southeast Asia's largest Buddhist center and the host of the 2019 United Nations Day of Vesak--where the relics will be on display from May 18 to 21.

A large gathering of monks, bhikkhunis, diplomats and the Sangha had offered chanting and special prayers to the Holy Buddha relic at a protected enclosure of the National Museum, New Delhi when it was brought there on May 1 from Sarnath, a famous place in India known for the first teachings of Buddhism by Gautam Buddha, en route to Vietnam.

The Ambassador of Vietnam to India, Nguyen Thanh Hai, as also the Acting High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Priyanga Wickramasinghe had joined the prayers.

The Ministry of Culture, Government of India in collaboration with the IBC is holding for the first time an exposition of the sacred Buddha relic in four cities of Vietnam to coincide with the celebrations for the UN Vesak Day.

This holy relic of the Buddha is enshrined in Mulagandha Kuti Vihara, Sarnath and was excavated in Nagarjuna Konda, Andhra Pradesh (India). It is believed to be dated older than 246 CE.

On May 1, when the sacred relic left Delhi, as a special gesture, around 120 monks from Vietnam reached from Vietnam to the National museum in New Delhi to pay their obeisance to the holy relic and then returned to their country on the same day, before the relic travels to Vietnam, in order to receive the Holy Relic in Vietnam. (ANI)