Bhubaneswar, Sept. 7: The display of a rare Buddha relic, which has been lying unattended in the strong room of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Bhubaneswar on the pretext of security concerns, in New Delhi is attracting criticism from all quarters.

Excavated in 1985 from Lalitgiri, the relic has been kept in the strong room for over 25 years while neither any further research, nor public display of it was conducted by the ASI. Despite the state government’s repeated requests, the ASI until recently was denying the exhibition of the relic at State Museum, citing security and conservation issues. But its recent display at a national-level exhibition in New Delhi has irked state government officials and heritage conservation experts.

“Only recently, the ASI has accepted our proposal to display the relic at State Museum. In fact, we are planning to exhibit it for the visiting Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley at the museum on Friday. But when we contacted the ASI for the relic, they informed us that it had been sent to New Delhi,” said a senior state government official.

This will be the second occasion of special display of the rare Buddha relic for a foreign dignitary. In 2005, a similar display of the relic was organised at the museum for Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

“Since the discovery of the relic from Lalitgiri pagoda, the ASI authorities have been citing security issues to avoid its public display. But, it is surprising how they have shifted the relic to New Delhi now,” said the official.

“Ancient relics are prized possession of the region, and at least, the local administration must be aware of the fact that the object is shifted as there is a doubt over loss in transit. Once lost, it becomes a national loss. The state government, in principle, has decided to write to the ASI on this account,” said another official.

The ASI authorities said a team of officials from the ASI Bhubaneswar Circle would bring back the relic by Friday.

ASI deputy superintending archaeologist Hemasagar A. Naik said: “Not only this relic, but many rare objects in possession of the ASI from all parts of the country were taken to New Delhi as part of its 150 years of celebration and it is an internal matter. The Buddha relic was taken with a proper security protocol and no one should be worried over its credibility, as the ASI will be accountable for any type of loss in transit. We have already sent a team of officials to the headquarters and they will come back with the relic by the scheduled time tomorrow.”

During its excavation, the tooth relic was found inside a small gold casket encased in multiple caskets of silver, steatite and the outer most Khandolite casket. Last month, tourism minister Maheswar Mohanaty had a meeting with Union tourism minister Selja Kumari and the director-general of the ASI in New Delhi. The state government finally succeeded in persuading the ASI to hand them over the relic for public display at State Museum.

The state culture department has started preparation to organise a place for the relic’s display inside the museum. “It will be placed in a hall with an area of 2,400sqft where the objects relating to mining and minerals are on display,” said museum superintendent Manjushree Samantray.

The tourism and culture department had sent a three-member team of experts to various Buddhist pilgrim places across the country to visualise the pattern of display and ambience of the relics.

“The present mining and minerals gallery will be converted to a safe place for display of the relic inside a glass structure with proper barricade around which the pilgrims can move. Though initially there was a plan to provide a place of worship, in such a small place, it might not be possible now. It could be planned as the state government is wishing to shift the relic later to Lalitgiri, where it was originally found. The permanent place only could have a place of worship in future,” said an architect working on the design of the project at the museum.

The museum superintendent said not only the rare relic and its structure, but also the entire hall would be renovated with Buddha paintings, art objects and panels on Buddhism, so that it would add to the religious and periodic statement and attract more visitors.