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.
