The Indian government has issued a stern legal warning to Sotheby’s Hong Kong, demanding an immediate halt to the auction of jewels believed to be linked to the relics of Gautama Buddha. India has also formally requested the sacred artifacts be returned to their country of origin.
Set to go under the hammer this Wednesday, the auction features a collection of ancient gems unearthed alongside Buddha’s bone fragments over a century ago. India’s Ministry of Culture asserts that the sale violates both Indian and international heritage laws, along with UN conventions protecting cultural property. The ministry emphasized that these relics should be recognized and respected as sacred, rather than commercial artifacts.
Global Buddhist communities and art historians have echoed India’s concerns, condemning the auction as ethically and legally problematic. Despite the backlash, Sotheby’s confirmed to the BBC that the auction will continue as scheduled.
India publicly shared a letter addressed to Sotheby’s and Chris Peppé the great-grandson of William Claxton Peppé, who excavated the relics in 1898 on Instagram. The ministry claims Peppé has “no legal authority” to sell the artefacts and criticised Sotheby’s for facilitating what it called “continued colonial exploitation.”
William Claxton Peppé, a British estate manager, discovered the relics at a stupa in Piprahwa, near Lumbini the Buddha’s birthplace. His findings included nearly 1,800 gemstones such as rubies, sapphires, topaz, and intricately patterned gold sheets, all housed in a brick chamber now located in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Although Peppé handed over most of the relics to the colonial-era Indian government, some “duplicates” were retained by his family. Sotheby’s auction notes suggest this amounted to roughly one-fifth of the original discovery. However, India’s culture ministry rejects the term “duplicates” as misleading, stating the jewels are an inseparable part of the nation’s religious and cultural heritage.
“These are not mere specimens but sacred offerings originally interred with the Buddha’s body,” the ministry declared, arguing that no private individual or family has the right to sell or alienate such historical artifacts.
Citing an old report indicating the relics were once stored carelessly in a shoebox, the ministry also questioned the Peppé family’s custodianship and their decision to monetize the relics through exhibitions and publicity.
India has demanded a public apology from Sotheby’s and Chris Peppé, along with a full disclosure of all provenance records related to the relics. Failure to comply could trigger legal proceedings in both India and Hong Kong for violating cultural heritage laws. Additionally, India warned it may launch an international campaign to expose Sotheby’s role in perpetuating “colonial injustice.”
In response, Chris Peppé told the BBC that the family had explored donation options but faced numerous obstacles, making an auction seem like the fairest solution. The relics have been displayed in major exhibitions, including at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2023, and the Peppé family even launched a website to share their research.
However, India maintains that commercialisation of such sacred artefacts undermines their cultural significance and violates international heritage norms.