Question

Which is the most ancient physical relic of Lord Buddha?

• A. Keśa (hair)
• B. Nakha (nail)
• C. Danta (tooth)
• D. Asthi (bone)

Hint:

Relics obtained from a living person are called "Jivanta-dhātu." The hair (Keśa) and nails (Nakha) fall into this category. Among these, the hair given to the merchants Trapusa and Bahalika is historically documented as the first.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: In Buddhist tradition, physical relics of the Buddha are known as Śarīra-dhātu. These are categorized into three types: Śārīrika (body parts), Pāribhogika (objects used by him), and Uddeśika (symbols like images). Among the physical relics (Śārīrika), there is a distinction between those obtained after his Mahāparinirvāṇa (cremation) and those given by the Buddha himself while he was still alive. The "most ancient" refers to the relics that were first separated from his body and venerated by devotees during his lifetime.

Step 1: Historical context of the first relics.
According to the Vinaya Piṭaka and various Jātaka stories, the very first physical relics were given just seven weeks after the Buddha attained Enlightenment (Bodhi) under the Bodhi tree. While the Buddha was sitting under the Rājāyatana tree, two merchant brothers named Trapusa and Bahalika (from the region of Balkh) encountered him. They offered the Buddha his first meal after enlightenment—honey and rice cakes.

Step 2: The gift of the hair relics (Keśa-dhātu).
Impelled by deep faith, the merchants requested the Buddha for an object to worship upon their return to their homeland. In response, the Buddha rubbed his head and gave them eight strands of his hair (Keśa). These are considered the first and most ancient relics because they were bestowed by the living Buddha himself, long before his death and subsequent cremation. The Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar is famously said to house these original eight hair relics.

Step 3: Comparing with other relic types.
Let us analyze why the other options are not the "most ancient":
• (2) Nakha (nail): Although the Buddha is said to have given nail clippings as relics in some traditions, they are usually mentioned alongside or after the hair relics. The hair relics given to Trapusa and Bahalika remain the primary "first" recorded instance.
• (3) Danta (tooth) and (4) Asthi (bone): These are "post-mortem" relics. They were collected from the funeral pyre after the Buddha's Mahāparinirvāṇa at Kushinagar (c. 483 BCE). Since these were obtained at the very end of his life, they are chronologically much later than the hair relics given shortly after his enlightenment (c. 528 BCE).

Step 4: Conclusion on Chronology.
The hair (Keśa) relics predate the cremation relics (Asthi and Danta) by approximately 45 years. Because they represent the first instance of the Buddha distributing parts of his physical body for the purpose of veneration, they are recognized as the most ancient.