Overview

• The Piprahwa relics, linked to the Buddha and excavated in 1898, include 1,800 jewels classified as 'AA' antiquities under Indian law, prohibiting their sale or export.
• India’s Ministry of Culture has issued a legal notice to Sotheby’s Hong Kong and the descendants of the original excavator, demanding the immediate cessation of the auction and repatriation of the relics.
• Sotheby’s Hong Kong has acknowledged the legal notice and assured that the matter is receiving 'full attention,' but the auction remains scheduled for May 7.
• The relics are considered sacred by Buddhists worldwide, with scholars and religious leaders condemning their commercialization as unethical and a continuation of colonial exploitation.
• India has invoked UNESCO and UNIDROIT conventions, coordinated with international authorities, and threatened legal action to enforce the relics’ return to their place of origin.