More than 300 precious relics associated with Buddha have been returned to India after 127 years, marking the event described by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "a festival for national culture".
These relics include purple brocade, anhydrate, pearl, coral, pomegranate pink and gold, excavated in 1898 by British real estate manager William Claxton Peppe at the ancient tower citadel in piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh state.
These treasures were found along with the ashes and bones believed to belong to the Buddha. Chris Peppe, a descendant of the miners, sent them to the British auction house Sotheby's, saying the auction was a "fair and transparent way" to transfer them to the Buddhist community. Sotheby's auctioneer described this as "D piprahwa's precious stone" from the Maurya empire, dating back 240 - 200 BC.
The Indian government has sent a legal notice requesting the auction to be canceled and the exhibits returned. As a result, India's Godrej Industries Group bought the collection and brought it back to the country permanently. The purchase price was not disclosed, although Sotheby's previously estimated the collection could reach more than 12.9 million USD.
The Indian Ministry of Culture considers this a testament to the effective cooperation between the public and private sectors, and affirms that this repatriation is part of the country's "mission to restore and honor" the country's ancient cultural and spiritual heritage.
