Bhubaneswar, Aug. 14: A tooth relic believed to be of Lord Buddha that has been lying in the strong room of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) office here for over 25 years will be handed over to the state government after which it would be exhibited at the state museum in Bhub-aneswar for public viewing.

The ASI had found the relic during an excavation at Lalitgiri, a Buddhist site in Jajpur, in 1985. The Telegraph had carried a report on August 9 about the delay in displaying the relic for public viewing. However, the state government has succeeded in persuading the ASI to hand them over the relic for display during a meeting last week. The meeting was attended by state tourism minister Maheswar Mohanty, Union tourism minister Selja Kumari and officials of ASI, New Delhi. “The ASI authorities have agreed to hand over the relic for public display,” said Mohanty.

The Buddhist relic would initially be displayed at the state museum and would later be shifted to Lalitgiri, where it was discovered.

“The design for its display in a protected manner is being prepared. An architect has been engaged for this. The architect and the state’s culture director will visit Bodhgaya soon,” said Mohanty. A relic of the Buddha is on display at Bodhgaya in Bihar.

“Our main objective is to let Buddhist followers see the relic. This will also lead to an increase in Buddhist tourists,” said Mohanty.

The state government has also requested the Indian Railways to extend the route of the Mahaparinirvan Express till Odisha so that more tourists can visit the Buddhist circuits in the state.

“We have made a proposal to the authorities of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation for extension of this seasonal Buddhist train from Bodhgaya to Haridaspur in Jajpur district in December and January,” he said.