Working staff carry Lord Buddha Tooth Relic to head for Myanmar from the Lingguang Temple in western Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 6, 2011. The sacred tooth relic, which is treasured in the Lingguang Temple, will head for Myanmar and tour three cities of the country until Dec. 24. This is the fourth enshrinement visit of the Buddha's tooth relic to the neighboring nation of Myanmar, following those paid in 1955, 1994 and 1996. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Buddhist personages, officials and delegations from China and Myanmar saw off a Sakyamuni tooth sarira in Beijing Sunday morning as it will be displayed in Myanmar for 48 days.

Wang Zuo'an, head of China's State Administration for Religious Affairs, and Myanmar's Minister of Religious Affairs Thura U Myint Maung signed an agreement at a hand-over ceremony held at Beijing Capital International Airport, after a pagoda preserving the sarira was placed on the plane and checked by the both nations' escort teams.

Master Chuanyin, president of the Buddhist Association of China, said Sunday that the event manifested the strengthened friendship between the two countries' Buddhism circles as well as the peoples.

It is the fourth time the sacred relic has been taken to Myanmar to be displayed and worshipped. It was previously brought to Myanmar in 1955, 1994 and 1996.

Sarira are remains from the cremation of Buddhas or a saintly monk's body, often in the shape of beads, regarded as the most treasured Buddhist relics.

After Sakyamuni (565-486 BC), the founder of Buddhism, was cremated some 2,500 years ago, a few pieces of his sarira relics were brought to China by monks who were preaching Buddhism.

Earlier Sunday morning, nearly 1,000 people attended a religious ceremony in western Beijing's Lingguang Temple, the relic's permanent home.

The relic is housed in a golden pagoda sealed by bulletproof glass.