Relics associated with Buddha
According to the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta, after attaining parinirvana, the body of Buddha was cremated and the ashes divided among his lay followers.
The Bimaran Casket is a 1st-century gold reliquary for relics of Buddha, found inside stupa no.2 at Bimaran, near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan
War over the Buddha's Relics at Sanchi (1st century BCE/CE). The Buddha died in Kusinagara, the capital of the Mallakas, who initially tried to keep all the relics of the Buddha for themselves. A war erupted in which the chiefs of seven other clans waged war against the Mallakas of Kushinara for the possession of the Buddha's relics. In the center of the architrave, the siege of Kushinara is in progress; to right and left, the victorious chiefs are departing in chariots and on elephants, with the relics borne on the heads of the latter.
The division of the relics of the Buddha by Drona the Brahmin. Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, 2-3rd century CE. Zenyōmitsu-ji, Tokyo.
Site of the distribution of the relics of the Buddha, Kushinagar
Śarīra is a generic term referring to Buddhist relics, although in common usage it usually refers to pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects that are found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters. Relics of the Buddha after cremation are termed dhātu in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. Śarīra are held to emanate or incite 'blessings' and 'grace' within the mindstream and experience of those connected to them. Sarira are also believed to ward off evil in the Himalayan Buddhist tradition.
Various śarīra from the Buddha and various students in the collection of the Maitreya Project
Buddha relics from Kanishka the Great's stupa in Peshawar, Pakistan, now in Mandalay, Burma. Teresa Merrigan, 2005
They divided śarīras and carried it to their kingdoms. Illustration by Hokusai
Relics of the Buddha in a temple in Thailand.
