Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan and a delegation from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) were present at Hanoi’s main airport on March 3 to receive a sari, said to be that of the Lord Buddha, brought to Vietnam from India.
After a solemn welcoming ceremony with the participation of hundreds of Buddhist followers at Noi Bai Airport, the sari was taken to Bai Dinh Pagoda - the largest Buddhist pagoda in Vietnam - in the northern province of Ninh Binh for a grand celebration on the same day. The treasure will be preserved in the pagoda’s stupa.
The sari - one of the purported relics left over after the physical body of the Buddha was cremated - was a gift from the President of the World Association of Buddhists in India to Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan during her official visit to the country in September last year.
This is the second time the VBS has hosted grand ceremonies to receive Buddhist treasures. On June 6, 2009, the Sangha held a grand procession of the relics of the Lord Buddha and holy monks from the Ho Chi Minh City-based Giac Quang Monastery to the Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi and the Bai Dinh Pagoda in Ninh Binh Province.
The procession was recognised by the Vietnam Guinness Book Centre as the largest Buddhist treasure welcoming ceremony in Vietnam , and drew the participation of more than 15,000 pilgrims and over 1,000 motor vehicles.