New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture in India seems to have stalled an effort by international auction house Sotheby’s to put sacred Buddhist relics under the hammer at an auction planned in Hong Kong on Wednesday. After receiving a legal notice from the Ministry, Sotheby’s has said that it will take adequate measures to prevent the auction of the relics.
The Ministry apparently called upon Sotheby’s Hong Kong office to immediately withdraw the relics from auction and cooperate with Indian authorities to return these sacred artifacts to their rightful place.
These relics, excavated from the Piprahwa Stupa — widely recognised as the ancient city of Kapilavastu, the birthplace of Lord Buddha — hold immense historical and spiritual significance. The Ministry took this call after receiving requests from various Buddhist organisations to take adequate measures to stop this auction.
The Piprahwa Relics include bone fragments, soapstone and crystal caskets, a sandstone coffer, and offerings such as gold ornaments and gemstones. They were excavated by William Claxton Peppé in 1898. An inscription in Brahmi script on one of the caskets confirms these as relics of the Buddha, deposited by the Sakya clan.
It was a listing on Sotheby’s website that caught everyone’s attention to the impending auction.
The message said: “Sotheby’s is honoured to present the Piprahwa gems, appearing for the first time in Hong Kong. The 1898 discovery of these gems by William Claxton Peppé at Piprahwa in northern India — where they were found buried together in reliquaries with the corporeal relics of the Historical Buddha — ranks among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time.”
Though the listing is still there on the website, officials in the Ministry have told the Indian Express they have been assured of swift action by the auction house.
According to the newspaper, a majority of these relics were transferred to the Indian Museum, Kolkata, in 1899 and are classified as ‘AA’ antiquities under Indian law, prohibiting their removal or sale. A note by Chris Peppe on Sotheby’s website says, “The Piprahwa gem relics were passed down from my great uncle to his son, then in 2013 they came to myself and two cousins. It was at this point that I began in-depth research into the discovery of the gems by William Claxton Peppé, my great-grandfather.”
While a portion of the bone relics was gifted to the King of Siam, a selection retained by Peppé’s descendants has now been listed for auction. The Ministry has also served a legal notice to Chris, asking him to withdraw the relics from the auction and return them to India.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also requested the Consulate General of Hong Kong to take up the matter with authorities demanding the immediate cessation of the auction. During a bilateral meeting on May 2, Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat raised the issue with Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, United Kingdom. The Minister emphasised the cultural and religious significance of the relics and urged immediate action to halt the auction and facilitate their repatriation, officials said.
