Event details
Nov
17
John Guy | Piprahwa and Relic Practice in Early Buddhist India - An Archaeological Perspective
The excavation of the Piprahwa relics in January, 1898 - the most important Buddhist relic deposit ever recovered in India - immediately sparked enormous interest across the Buddhist world. Piprahwa stupa is located in northern Uttar Pradesh close to Lumbini, the site of the historical Buddha's birthplace in western Nepal. The Piprahwa relic deposit included the first reliquary inscription to credibly claim that it contained the corporeal remains of Sakyamuni Buddha. The speaker will examine this unique cache of sacred objects in the context of early Buddhist relic worship and emerging pan-Indian practices of honoring the Buddha and his Teachings.
Speakers
John Guy, Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
Jonathan Gold, D. T. Suzuki Professor in Buddhist Studies, Princeton University
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Date
November 17, 2026Time
12:00 p.m.Location
Louis A. Simpson International Building, 144Audience
University Sponsors
CGI, Department of Religion, PIIRS