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NEW DELHI: A collection of ancient gems linked to the Buddha’s remains has been repatriated to India and will go on display to the public, after Delhi intervened in a planned Sotheby’s auction of the relics.
The Piprahwa Gems, named after the town in what is now the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, were taken by a British colonial engineer named William Claxton Peppe after he dug it in 1898.
The collection of more than 300 delicate gems is more than 2,000 years old and was believed to have been found with the bodily relics of the Buddha in northern India, near the border with Nepal.
It was originally scheduled to be auctioned by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in May, but the sale was postponed following a threat of legal action by the Indian government, who demanded the return of the jewels.
The gems were finally returned to their “rightful home of India” on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Indian Culture Ministry.
“The return of the Piprahwa Gems is a matter of great pride for every Indian. This is one of the most significant instances of repatriation of our lost heritage,” Indian Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh said.
In a legal notice to Sotheby’s in May, the Indian Culture Ministry said the relics were “inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India, and the global Buddhist community,” adding that their sale violates Indian and international laws, as well as UN conventions.
The relics were repatriated to India through a “public-private partnership” between the Indian government and the Mumbai-based Indian conglomerate, Godrej Industries Group, which reportedly acquired the jewels.
“We are deeply honored to contribute to this historic moment. The Piprahwa gems are not just artifacts — they are timeless symbols of peace, compassion and the shared heritage of humanity,” Pirojsha Godrej, executive vice chairperson of Godrej Industries Group, said in a statement.
The collection will be “formally unveiled during a special ceremony and placed on public display,” according to the Indian Culture Ministry.
“Through negotiation and intervention, the relics were successfully repatriated to India after 127 years,” Dr. Pranshu Samdarshi, a cultural historian and assistant professor at Nalanda University in Bihar, told Arab News.
“The relics reaffirm India’s central place in the Buddhist world. This successful recovery adds to a growing list of repatriated artifacts, including over 600 illegally possessed antiquities retrieved from countries such as the US, France, and Australia,” he said.
“The importance of the Piprahwa relics as a symbol of India’s Buddhist legacy and its cultural diplomacy is uncontested.”