External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday handed over the holy relics of 17th century Queen St. Ketevan to the Georgian government, nearly 16 years after they were found in Goa.

Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Georgia, tweeted, "Warmly welcomed in Tbilisi by FM @DZalkaliani. Blessed to hand over the holy relics of St. Queen Ketevan to the people of Georgia. An emotional moment."

The foreign minister handed over the relics of St. Queen Ketevan at a ceremony in the Georgian capital Tbilisi in the presence of Beatitude Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.

St. Queen Ketevan was a 17th century Georgian Queen who attained martyrdom. Her relics were found in 2005 at St. Augustine Convent in Old Goa, on the basis of medieval Portuguese records. They are believed to have been brought to Goa in 1627. India has gifted one part of the relics to Georgia.

On directions of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, carried out DNA analysis that confirmed its authenticity.

At the insistence of the Georgian government, India sent the relics to Georgia for an exhibition for six months in 2017. The relics were personally welcomed by His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, along with many Georgians on September 23, 2017.

They were taken to different churches in Georgia and were returned to India on September 30, 2018.

Later, the Georgian government made persistent requests for the permanent transfer of the relics as they held historical, religious and spiritual importance to the people and culture of the country. Considering this, India decided to gift one part of the relics to Georgia permanently.

During his visit to Georgia, Jaishankar will have a bilateral meeting with his counterpart David Zalkaliani covering various aspects of bilateral relations as well as exchange views on issues of regional and global interest, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

He is also scheduled to unveil the newly-installed statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Tbilisi.