Postponement of Sotheby’s Auction of Buddha-Related Gems

Auction House Sotheby’s has decided to delay the auction of a significant collection of gems associated with Buddha’s remains after the Indian government threatened legal action, urging the return of these items.

The auction, which was set to take place in Hong Kong, featured a collection dubbed the “Piprawa Gems of the Historic Buddha Maurian Empire from the Ashokan period (240 to 200 BC).” It faced backlash from Buddhist scholars and monk leaders.

In a letter sent on May 5, the Indian government stated that the artefacts “essentially violate the religious and cultural heritage of Buddhist communities both in India and globally. Their sale breaches both Indian law and international treaties established by the United Nations.”

The auction was initially planned for Wednesday morning. However, in response to the concerns raised by India, Sotheby’s issued a statement indicating that, “due to the agreement with the shipper, the auction has been postponed. This will facilitate discussions between the concerned parties.”

Following this announcement, all references to the gems were removed from the auction house’s website, and promotional material was taken down.

Sotheby’s had previously described the discovery of these artefacts in Piplawa, northern India, in 1898 as “one of the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time.”

The collection includes a variety of jewels such as amethyst, corals, garnets, pearls, rock crystals, and gold, which were fashioned into pendants, beads, and other forms or are left in their natural shapes.

Originally, these treasures were interred at a dome-shaped funeral monument known as the pagoda in Piprahawa, located in present-day Uttar Pradesh.

India expressed that conducting the auction could “trigger strong emotional responses among over 500 million Buddhists worldwide,” asserting that the sale would breach Buddhist ethics and disturb “sacred traditions.”