Relics of Sariputta and Moggallana

In 1851, British archaeologists Major Alexander Cunningham and Lieutenant Frederick Charles Maisey discovered relics attributed to the chief disciples during excavations of stupas in the Indian cities of Sanchi and Satdhara.

Following a Buddhist revival movement in South Asia in the late 19th century, Buddhist organizations including the Maha Bodhi Society began pressuring the British government to return the relics to Asia so they can be properly venerated, with the British government eventually conceding.

The relics were sent to Sri Lanka in 1947, where they were on display at the Colombo Museum for nearly two years, and then were put on tour around parts of Asia starting in 1949.

The relics were then divided up and permanently relocated in 1952, with portions being enshrined at the Kaba Aye Pagoda in Yangon, Burma, the Maha Bodhi Society temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the Chethiyagiri Vihara in Sanchi, India.

[2] After having searched for spiritual truth under different contemporary masters, they came into contact with the teachings of the Buddha and ordained as monks under him, after which the Buddha declared the friends his two chief disciples, together described in the Mahāpadāna Sutta, as "the chief pair of disciples, the excellent pair" (Pali: sāvakayugaṁ aggaṁ bhaddayugaṁ).

[9][11] Over the succeeding centuries reports from Chinese pilgrims such as Xuanzang indicated that the relics could be found in the Indian city of Mathura in stupas built by Emperor Asoka.

[12] As of 1999, no archaeological reports had confirmed findings of the relics of the chief disciples at the sites mentioned by either Chinese pilgrims or Buddhist texts.

[13] In 1851, British archaeologists Major Cunningham and Lieutenant Maisey were exploring a site in Sanchi, near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in India, which was known for its many Buddhist stupas, also called "Topes", dating back to the 3rd century BCE.

[16] During the expedition, Cunningham and Maisey excavated Stupa number 3 of the site and discovered an undisturbed chamber with two sandstone boxes.

Cunningham states that Sariputra and Mahamoggallana were the principal followers of the Buddha, and were usually styled his right and left hand disciples.

[22][23] Inside the casket was one single bone fragment nearly one inch long, and seven beads made up of precious stones and metals.

[34] In the late 19th century, a Buddhist revival movement led by the Maha Bodhi Society began taking place in South Asia.

The revival efforts led several Buddhist organizations to begin pressuring the British government starting in the 1920s to return the relics of the chief disciples to India, where they can be properly venerated.

[36] The situation changed in 1939 however, when the museum was informed that the government of India had forwarded a request for the return of the relics on behalf of Buddhist organizations.

[41] They were housed at the Dharmarajika Vihara, the headquarters of the Society, for two weeks where they received a constant stream of visitors, many of which Hindu and Muslim.

Later that year, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to make a "permanent loan" of a portion of the relics to Burma in what was seen as a gesture of goodwill toward its newly independent neighbor.

[47] Sri Lanka also obtained a portion of the relics, which were brought from Sanchi in 1952 and kept at the temple of the Maha Bodhi Society in Colombo.

[48][49] In 2015, the Maha Bodhi Society broke with tradition by showing the relics to Pope Francis outside of the duration of the annual festival.

Responding to critics, the head of the society stated that no pope had set foot inside a Buddhist temple since 1984, and added that "religious leaders have to play a positive role to unite [their] communities instead of dividing".

[53] A year later, a portion of the relic of Sariputta was moved to the nearby Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and placed within the newly constructed stone stupa on that campus.

[55] According to Brekke, Indian Prime Minister Nehru saw Buddhism as a peaceful and unifying force for India and the relics of the chief disciples were seen as a symbol of the newly independent country's values of religious tolerance and non-violence.

The newly independent Burmese state promoted a revival of Buddhism in the country, which at the time was dealing with widespread civil strife.