Ahead of Union home minister Amit Shah’s maiden visit to Ladakh, since it became a Union Territory in August 2019, the holy bone relics of Tathagata Buddha arrived in Leh on Wednesday.
Shah will be on a two-day visit to the strategic Himalayan region and will pay obeisance before the Buddha relics on Thursday and take part in Buddha Purnima on Friday, before returning to New Delhi.
Advocate Tashi Gyalson, former chairman and chief executive councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, said, “It is maiden visit of the home minister after Ladakh became a UT in 2019. He is coming here to pay obeisance to Buddha relics on Thursday and then take part in Buddha Purnima celebrations on Friday before returning to New Delhi.”
Terming the visit as “very significant”, Gyalson, however, informed that no meeting of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) with the home minister has been scheduled during his visit.
Shah’s visit comes at a time when LAB and KDA have been agitating for statehood and constitutional safeguards to Ladakh under sixth schedule of the Constitution.
On September 24 last year, the agitation had turned violent which left four people, including a retired soldier dead, and 100 others injured after which climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained under NSA and lodged in Jodhpur jail.
On February 5, 2026, a meeting was held between the high-powered committee and Ladakh bodies during which the demands to release Wangchuk and other detainees were put forward. The meeting, however, had remained inconclusive. Wangchuk was then released on March 14 and NSA was revoked. Now another meeting is scheduled to be held for May 22.
Earlier during the day, amid deep spiritual fervour and an atmosphere imbued with devotion, the holy Piprahwa relics of Tathagatha Buddha arrived in Leh on Wednesday, marking the commencement of a historic spiritual celebration in the Ladakh.
Lieutenant governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena, accorded a warm and reverential welcome to the sacred relics upon their arrival at the technical airport in Leh from New Delhi, where the holy relics were originally preserved.
Traditional performances, ceremonial honours and sacred rituals marked the reception ceremony. The relics, brought from Delhi by Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Khenpo Thinlas Chosal of Matho Monastery in a special air force aircraft, were received by the LG in the presence of prominent religious and public figures, including Khamtak Rinpoche, Rigyal Rinpoche, president Ladakh Gonpa Association Ven. Dorje Stanzin, president Ladakh Buddhist Association Chering Dorjey Lakruk, former Members of Parliament Thupstan Chewang and Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, former CEC LAHDC Leh Tashi Gyalson, and representatives of various social, religious and political organisations.
The Ladakh Police accorded a ceremonial guard of honour, while monks performed special prayers.
Following the ceremonial reception, the relics were taken in a grand procession to Jivetsal, the designated venue for public exposition, beginning May 1, which marks the 2569th Buddha Purnima.
Saxena expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for choosing Ladakh for this sacred event and highlighted the region’s deep-rooted connection with Buddhism and spirituality.
Over the years, the sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha have been exhibited in several countries, including Thailand, Mongolia, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, drawing global attention and devotion.
In Ladakh, the relics will be available for public veneration at Jivetsal from May 2 to 10, followed by exposition in Zanskar on May 11 and 12, and thereafter at the Dharma Centre in Leh from May 13 to 14, before being flown back to Delhi on May 15.
The Piprahwa relics have gained renewed global significance in recent years. After 127 years in colonial possession, a significant collection of associated gems and offerings was repatriated to India in July 2025, from a British family and a private collection.
