Hong Kong Auction House To Sell Buddhist Artifacts Unearthed From Uttar Pradesh, Gets Culture Ministry's Notice

In response to public indignation regarding the planned sale of revered Buddhist artifacts from Piprahwa at an auction set for Wednesday (7 May) in Hong Kong, India has taken decisive measures to halt the transaction, TNIE reported.

The Ministry of Culture has served Sotheby's, the auction house, with a legal notice, demanding the immediate cancellation of the auction titled 'The Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha, Mauryan Empire, Ashokan Era, circa 240–200 BCE'.

The auction features artifacts unearthed from the Piprahwa Stupa in 1898 by a British engineer named William Claxton Peppé. Additionally, a notification has been dispatched to the descendants of Claxton Peppé.

In response to the notice, Ivy Wong, Associate General Counsel at Sotheby's, assured Indian officials that they are giving the matter their "full attention," according to TNIE sources.

The Archaeological Survey of India has appealed to the Consulate General of India in Hong Kong to implore local authorities to halt the auction.

The artifacts of interest consist of bone fragments thought to be those of Gautam Buddha, preserved in soapstone and crystal caskets, a sandstone coffer, and ceremonial gifts like gold trinkets and precious stones.

These historical pieces were unearthed in Piprahwa, a village in the Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, near Lumbini, Nepal – the birthplace of Buddha.