COLOMBO, April 26 (Xinhua) -- India will send the sacred Buddhist relics to Sri Lanka for public veneration during the annual Vesak festival, a statement from the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said on Thursday.

Vesak is celebrated on April 29 this year in Sri Lanka to mark the birth, the enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha who founded the Buddhist religion.

The statement said the relics would be brought from Sarnath, India for the first time for public exposition on the occasion of Vesak.

The public can pay homage to these relics at "Temple Trees," the Prime Minister's official residence in Colombo from April 28 to May 2.

Sarnath in India is historically significant since the Buddha preached his first sermon there.

"The sacred relics of Sarnath are yet another manifestation of the shared Buddhist heritage of India and Sri Lanka. These Relics are enshrined at Mulagandhakuti Vihare at Saranth in India. A specially made casket secures these two most revered and authentic relics," the statement said.