ABC

Relic

Symbols and art

There are three types of relics: bodily relics (the bodily remains, such as the bones or ashes, of the Buddha or some other important religious figure), contact relics (objects which were used or touched by the Buddha or some other important religious figure), and dharma relics (texts or text excerpts). Relics are traditionally kept in a special shrine or interred in a stupa. Followers of Buddhism venerate the relics by circumambulating the stupa clockwise and making offerings of flowers and incense. While some relics are interred and never seen again, others are displayed in processions and at important ritual events such as the Buddhist Festival of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka.