The Sacred Legacy of the Buddha’s Chief Disciples

Why the Relics of ArahantSāriputta and ArahantMahāmoggallāna Matter Today…

By Vivek Aggarwal, IAS

The holy relics of the two chief disciples of the Buddha –ArahantSāriputtaand ArahantMahāmoggallāna– will be travelling to Mongolia on board a special IAF aircraft for exposition at the Gandan Monastery, Ulaanbaatar, from June 1 to 10.

Sacred relics of the Buddha and his chief disciples, Arahant Sāriputta and Arahant MahāMoggallāna, enshrined in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, during the 2024 exposition hosted by India and Thailand

For more than two millennia, the names of ArahantSāriputta and ArahantMahāmoggallāna have held an unparalleled place of reverence in the Buddhist world. As the two chief disciples of Gautama Buddha, they were not only the Buddha’s closest spiritual companions but also the foremost guardians and transmitters of the Dhamma after his enlightenment.

Buddhist tradition records that Sāriputta and Mahāmoggallāna were born on the same day in neighbouring villages in the Magadha region, near present-day Nalanda. Sāriputta was born in Upatissa village, while Mahāmoggallāna was born in Kolita village. Bound by friendship from childhood, the two seekers eventually renounced worldly life together in search of ultimate truth. Their spiritual journeys culminated under the Buddha, where they quickly emerged as the two most distinguished members of the early Sangha.

Śāriputra and Maudgalyayana becoming disciples of the Buddha, depicted in an early 20th-century carved elephant tusk relief from the Delhi region, now in the National Museum, New Delhi.

Sāriputta, known in Sanskrit as Śāriputra, became renowned as the supreme master of wisdom and doctrinal analysis. Buddhist scriptures describe him as possessing “extraordinary intellectual clarity” and an “unparalleled ability to explain the teachings with precision and compassion”. He supervised monastic discipline, guided meditation practice and became the first disciple authorised to ordain monks independently. Rāhula, the Buddha’s son, was ordained as a novice monk (sāmaṇera) by Sāriputta, following the Buddha’s direct instruction. Because of his leadership and mastery of the Dhamma, the Buddha conferred upon him the title “General of the Dhamma” (Dhammasenāpati). According to Theravāda Buddhist tradition, after attaining Enlightenment, the Buddha taught the Abhidhamma in the Tāvatimsa heaven to the devas, including His mother who had been reborn there. During this period, the Buddha is said to have briefly returned each day to the human realm, where He summarised the teachings to Sāriputta, who then systematically transmitted these teachings to the masses.

Relics of Śāriputra and Maudgalyayana

In contrast, Mahāmoggallāna became celebrated as the foremost master of meditation and spiritual attainments. Buddhist literature describes him as possessing profound meditative powers and the ability to perceive different realms of existence. Through encounters with devas, brahmas, and beings suffering in unhappy states, he illustrated the workings of karma and the realities of saṃsāra. His teachings gave followers a vivid understanding of the moral and spiritual consequences of human action. ArahantMahāmoggallāna was deeply trusted by Gautama Buddha as a teacher, spiritual guide, and protector of the early Sangha, often acting on the Buddha’s behalf in matters of discipline and community leadership. He also played a crucial role in countering the schism created by Devadatta, helping reunite monks with the Buddha and preserve the unity of the Buddhist community.

The Sacred Relics and Their Enduring Reverence

The passing of Arahant Sāriputta and Arahant Mahāmoggallāna was a deeply emotional moment for the Buddha and the Buddhist Sangha. ArahantSāriputta attained final liberation shortly before the Buddha’s Mahāparinirvāṇa, on the full-moon day (Purnima) of the month Kattika/Kārtika (October/November), while Arahant Mahāmoggallāna is traditionally regarded to have passed away about fifteen days later, on the new-moon day (Amavasya) of the same month.

In Buddhist tradition, they are regarded as sacred embodiments of spiritual attainment and living reminders of enlightenment. The holy relics of Arahant Sāriputta and Arahant Mahāmoggallāna, therefore, hold exceptional significance, representing the realised Sangha as part of the Three Jewels of Buddha Dhamma. Across Buddhist cultures, these holy relics continue to inspire devotion, pilgrimage, and reflection. Their veneration symbolises the unbroken continuity of the Buddha’s teachings from ancient India to the modern world. This reverence was dramatically demonstrated in Thailand in February 2024 during one of the most significant Buddhist state ceremonies in recent history.

Thailand’s Historic 2024 Relic Exposition

The relics of Arahant Sāriputta and Arahant Mahāmoggallāna travelled outside India for the first time on 23 February 2024, when Thailand hosted a grand state ceremony at Sanam Luang in Bangkok for the enshrinement of the sacred relics of the Buddha together with the relics of ArahantSāriputta and ArahantMahāmoggallāna. The event was jointly presided over by Somdet Phra Sangharaja Sakon Maha Sanghaparinayok and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

Organised through cooperation between the Royal Thai Government and the Government of India under the “Ganga–Mekong Holy Buddha Relics” initiative, the exposition formed part of the celebrations marking the auspicious occasion of Maha Vajiralongkorn’s sixth-cycle anniversary. The Ministry of Culture of the Government of India and the International Buddhist Confederation played a significant role in coordinating the exposition by bringing in monks and academicians from India, and also conducting a full-day Vipassana programme at Silpakorn University in Bangkok.

The event drew immense public devotion and international attention. Following the Bangkok exposition, the sacred relics travelled across Thailand, including Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, and Krabi – enabling around five million Buddhists from all regions of the country to pay homage to the relics.

Why the Relics Matter to Mongolia

The relevance of carrying the relics of Arahant Sāriputta and Arahant Mahāmoggallāna to Mongolia lies in their role as Dhamma carriers– pillars of the early Sangha whose lives exemplified the transmission and safeguarding of the Buddha’s teachings. The Holy Relics of His two chief disciples symbolise the preservation, interpretation, and transmission of that Enlightenment into the world.

ArahantSāriputta and ArahantMahāmoggallāna represent the experiential realisation of the Dhamma through profound practice. Together, the two disciples came to embody the complementary pillars of Buddhist practice: wisdom and realisation, doctrine and direct experience.

Their Holy Relics, therefore, symbolise the living principles through which liberation becomes possible, thus representing the realised Sangha in its purest form. Honouring them is, in effect, honouring the successful transmission of the Buddha’s awakening into human history. For Mongolia, the arrival of these Relics carries exceptional meaning. Mongolia’s Buddhist identity has historically been anchored in reverence, scholarship, monastic discipline, and meditative tradition. The presence of these holy relics establishes a sacred and tangible connection, completing the living picture of the Buddha Dhamma. Their presence in Mongolia is also an exceptionally rare and auspicious blessing for the Mongolian monastic community (Sangha).

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(The author is Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.)