Sotheby’s postpones auction of sacred Buddhist relics after India’s intervention

New Delhi, May 7: Sotheby’s Hong Kong has postponed the controversial auction of the revered Piprahwa Buddhist relics, following a strong intervention by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The relics, believed to include bone fragments of the historical Buddha, were originally scheduled to be auctioned on May 7, 2025. Excavated in 1898 by British indigo planter William Claxton Peppé at Piprahwa in present-day Uttar Pradesh, the relics comprise bone fragments, soapstone and crystal reliquaries, a sandstone coffer, and ceremonial offerings, including gold ornaments and gemstones. An inscription in Brahmi script on one of the reliquaries identifies the remains as those of the Buddha, interred by the Sakya clan.

While most of the artefacts were transferred to the Indian Museum in Kolkata in 1899 and are protected under Indian law as ‘AA’ antiquities, a portion of funerary gems retained by Peppé’s descendants surfaced recently in an auction listing by Sotheby’s, triggering outrage among Buddhist communities and heritage activists.

After learning of the planned sale through media reports, the Ministry of Culture swung into action. On May 2, the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) formally requested the Indian Consulate in Hong Kong to intervene. That same day, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat personally raised the matter with UK Secretary of State for Culture, Lisa Nandy, citing the relics’ profound religious and cultural importance.

On May 5, the Ministry of Culture convened a high-level review meeting, and legal notices were promptly dispatched to Sotheby’s representatives and Chris Peppé, the consignor. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also engaged its diplomatic missions in the UK and Hong Kong to apply pressure on Sotheby’s.

A delegation led by the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture met Sotheby’s officials in Hong Kong on May 6, reiterating that the relics, far from being mere artefacts, are sacred to millions and were removed from India during colonial times without rightful claim.

Late on May 6, Sotheby’s Hong Kong informed the Indian delegation that the auction had been postponed and removed the listing from its website, pending further discussions. The diplomatic effort was bolstered by support from India’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, various Buddhist organisations across South Asia, international media coverage, and a petition filed with the Prime Minister’s portal by art historian Prof. Naman Ahuja. The Ministry of Culture, in coordination with the ASI and MEA, has now initiated steps to pursue the permanent repatriation of the relics to India.