Buddha Relic Stupa

The Buddha Relic Stupa in Vaishali, Bihar, is one of the earliest Buddhist stupas, originally built by the Licchavi clan in the 5th century BCE to enshrine relics of Gautama Buddha. Located in Vaishali village about 55 km north of Patna, the brick stupa was enlarged in later Mauryan and Kushan periods and excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1958-1962, when a stone relic casket containing ashes and associated objects was discovered.

Visitors can expect an open archaeological park centered on a large hemispherical brick mound representing the original relic stupa, surrounded by excavated remains and landscaped grounds. The site is low and accessible on foot via pathways with information boards explaining its history. The stupa itself is fenced and viewed from outside. The surroundings are rural and quiet, with nearby excavated monastery remains, and the relic casket is displayed at the nearby Vaishali Archaeological Museum.

The stupa was originally built by the Licchavi republic of Vaishali in the 5th century BCE to enshrine one of the eight shares of the relics of Gautama Buddha after his mahaparinirvana. It was enlarged in the 3rd century BCE during the Mauryan period and again in the 2nd century BCE and later Kushan period. Excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India between 1958 and 1962 revealed the brick stupa and a relic casket containing ashes, a gold leaf, beads and a punch-marked coin.

Vaishali is a major Buddhist pilgrimage centre where Buddha is said to have delivered his last sermon and announced his approaching mahaparinirvana. The Relic Stupa is venerated by Buddhists as one of the eight original relic stupas and represents early Buddhist funerary architecture and relic worship traditions.