Sotheby’s Hong Kong plans to auction gem relics linked to Buddha’s remains for $12.9 M, sparking outcry from monks and scholars who call the sale colonial plunder.
On May 7, 2025, Sotheby’s Hong Kong will offer “The Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha,” a cache of amethysts, garnets, pearls, and gold ornaments unearthed in 1898 at Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh.
Estimated at HK$100 million (~US$12.9 M), the sale could become one of the most expensive auctions of South Asian antiquities this decade. Yet Buddhist leaders and academics decry the move as a commodification of sacred heritage.
Date: ca. 240–200 BC, Mauryan Empire, Ashokan era.
Context: Found intermingled with what were identified as cremated remains of the Buddha inside a stupa.
Discovery: British engineer William Caxton Peppé excavated the relic chamber on his estate in 1898.
Disposition: Under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act, the British Raj claimed ownership. Roughly 1,800 gems went to the Calcutta Museum; Peppé retained about 20 %.
Current status: Those retained gems have remained in a private British collection—now consigned to Sotheby’s by Peppé’s descendants.
“The relics—bones, ash and gems—were meant to be together in perpetuity. Selling them perpetuates colonial violence.” —Ashley Thompson, SOAS University of London
Sacred, Not Decorative: Unlike secular antiquities, these gem reliquaries once mingled with Buddha’s ashes, making them objects of devotion, not art commodities.
Colonial Backstory: Critics argue the British crown’s claim under the Treasure Trove Act constitutes expropriation; auctioning extends that legacy.
Custodianship vs. Ownership: Scholars question whether Peppé’s heirs have legal—or moral—authority to sell.
Lack of Consultation: Buddhist monastic orders worldwide were not approached about potential repatriation or joint stewardship.
Chris Peppé, great‑grandson of William, told the BBC the family considered donation but chose auction as the “fairest and most transparent” way to transfer custody—implying Buddhist bidders could reclaim the relics.
Legal Interventions: India’s Ministry of Culture has not yet announced action, but activists are lobbying for governmental pressure or injunction.
Market Response: If lots are withdrawn or fail to reach reserve, Sotheby’s may face reputational risk akin to previous contested sales.
Precedent: Past auctions of sacred objects (e.g., Acoma Shield, Hopi masks) were halted after claims from source communities.
The impending Piprahwa Gems Sotheby’s auction pits private custody against collective spiritual patrimony. Whether the gavel falls or the lot is withdrawn, the dispute underscores a broader reckoning over colonial‑era finds and the ethics of monetizing sacred heritage.
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