India Steps In During Auction of Buddha's Sacred Treasures in Hong Kong

Title: The Showdown over the Buddha's Sacred Jewels: India Takes on Sotheby's

New Delhi Drags Sotheby's to Court: The Ministry of Culture has dropped a legal bombshell on Sotheby's auction house in Hong Kong, firing off a cease-and-desist notice to halt the scheduled auction of the Buddha's sacred jewels. The requested artifacts, rumored to fetch around Rs 107 crore, are set to hit the auction block on Wednesday.

Unearthing the Relics: In 1898, these 1,800 jewels, rich with precious gems, gold, and exotic materials, were unearthed alongside bone fragments believed to belong to the Buddha, unearthed from a stupa in Piprahwa, near his birthplace in Uttar Pradesh. These relics, which hold immense historical and spiritual value, were classified as 'AA' antiquities under Indian law, making their removal or sale illegal.

Future Faces Uncertainty: The auction house insists they've taken appropriate measures to ensure the items' authenticity, provenance, and legality. However, India's legal intervention and pressure from Buddhist scholars worldwide beg to differ. These objections center around the ethical aspects of treating religious relics as commodities.

Buddhist Roots: A portion of the bone relics was once gifted to the King of Siam, while some ended up in the Indian Museum in Kolkata. The remaining relics, now up for auction, were kept by the descendants of the discoverer, William Claxton Peppé. Evidence, such as an inscription in Brahmi script on one of the caskets, points to connections with the Sakya clan, a Buddhist group.

India's Crusade: Aware of the relics' historical and spiritual significance, the Indian government remains determined to protect these artifacts and has requested their repatriation. The Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) coordinates with Hong Kong authorities to underline the auction's illegality and ensure international law compliance.

Sotheby's Reaction: Ivy Wong, Associate General Counsel of Sotheby's, acknowledged the notice and promised to give it "full attention." Despite the heat, Sotheby's chairman of Asia, Nicolas Chow, described these relics as "among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time," touting their religious, archaeological, and historical importance.

Defending the Decision: Chris Peppe, William Claxton Peppé's great-grandson, defends the decision to auction the relics. Having faced obstacles when attempting to donate the items to temples and museums, the family settled on the auction as the most transparent and fair option for transferring the relics to Buddhists.

The scheduled auction of the Buddha's sacred jewels, which are rumored to fetch around Rs 107 crore, has been requested to halt by the Indian Ministry of Culture, as they are classified as 'AA' antiquities under Indian law, making their removal or sale illegal.
Aware of the relics' historical and spiritual significance, the Indian government remains determined to protect these artifacts and has requested their repatriation through the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU), coordinating with Hong Kong authorities to ensure international law compliance.
Chris Peppe, William Claxton Peppé's great-grandson, defends the decision to auction the relics, citing obstacles in donating the items to temples and museums and settling on the auction as the most transparent and fair option for transferring the relics to Buddhists.
Sotheby's chairman of Asia, Nicolas Chow, describes these relics as "among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time," highlighting their religious, archaeological, and historical importance, while Ivy Wong, Associate General Counsel of Sotheby's, acknowledged the cease-and-desist notice and promised to give it "full attention."