People take to streets as Bengaluru ushers in 2019
Bengaluru, Dec 31: Grand celebrations with pomp and gaiety across the Garden City marked the arrival of the New Year.
Many signature locations of the city, including prominent roads, shopping complexes, malls, eateries, luxury hotels, clubs, pubs and bars wore a bridal look Sunday night as people thronged these places to usher in the new year.
The centre of attraction, like every year, was the MG Road, the Brigade Road and the Residency Road, where hundreds of people turned up.
It was at this very location that the mass molestation had taken place on this day three years ago. To avoid a repetition of such an embarrassment, elaborate security arrangements were put in place with the deployment of a sizeable number of policemen, police vehicles, CCTV cameras and cameramen.
In addition, policemen in civil dress were also deployed to keep an eye on miscreants.
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Amit Shah holds meeting with Ladakh L-G for smooth ‘darshan’ of Lord Buddha’s relics
Leh (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday took a meeting with Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and senior officials of the Union territory to ensure that people can have 'darshan' of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha for the next two weeks without any inconvenience.
In a message on X, Shah, who reached Leh on Thursday, said that Friday will be a historic day for Ladakh when people can have 'darshan' of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima.
“I consider myself fortunate that I, too, will have the rare opportunity tomorrow to have darshan of these holy relics,” Shah said in the post in Hindi.
"To ensure that these sacred relics are easily accessible for darshan by the people of Ladakh over the next two weeks, I held a meeting today with the lieutenant governor of Ladakh and the concerned officials in this regard,” he said.
Shah is on a two-day visit to Ladakh during which he will attend the first-ever international exposition of the holy relics of Lord Buddha in India, commencing on Buddha Purnima on Friday.
The sacred relics were brought to Leh from Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh in a special Indian Air Force aircraft on Wednesday by Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche and Khenpo Thinlas Chosal from the Matho Monastery.
The relics, excavated from Piprahwa (ancient Kapilvastu), will be displayed at Jive Tsal, Choglamsar, from May 2 to 10.
The relics were accorded a ceremonial reception on their arrival in Leh, as people poured out of their homes and gathered along the roads to pay their respect.
The Piprahwa relics refer to ancient sacred remains and associated objects linked to Gautam Buddha, which were discovered at Piprahwa, an archaeological site in Uttar Pradesh near the Nepal border.
The relics have gained renewed global significance in recent years, especially after a collection of associated gems and offerings was repatriated to India in July 2025 from a British family and a private collection, ending over a century of colonial possession.
The relics have been exhibited internationally in several countries; this is the first time they have been brought out from their original place of preservation for exposition within India.
The relics were previously exhibited in Thailand, Mongolia, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, attracting global attention and devotion, according to a statement.
In Ladakh, the relics will be open for public veneration at Jivetsal from May 2 to May 10. They will subsequently be taken to Zanskar on May 11 and 12, followed by exposition at the Dharma Centre in Leh from May 13 to May 14, before being returned to Delhi on May 15, it said.
