For over a century these astonishing archaeologic relics, unearthed from a dusty mound in northern India in 1898, have sat largely unseen, cradled by a private British collection.
Now, as the gems prepare to leave the custody of their keepers, they are stirring not just collectors’ appetites but also some unease.
They come from a glittering hoard of nearly 1,800 pearls, rubies, topaz, sapphires, and patterned gold sheets, first glimpsed deep inside a brick chamber in present-day Uttar Pradesh in India, near the Buddha’s birthplace.
Their discovery – alongside bone fragments identified by an inscribed urn as belonging to the Buddha himself – reverberated through the world of archaeology.
Sotheby’s sale of Piprahwa gems, excavated after burial with Buddha’s remains, denounced as perpetuating colonial violence. The gems were originally buried in a dome-shaped funerary monument, called a stupa, in Piprahwa, in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India, about 240-200BC, when they were mixed with some of the cremated remains of the Buddha, who died about 480BC. Visit Guardian Link
Speaking to the Guardian after the auction was postponed Peppé said: “In light of the Indian government’s sudden interest in the gems, 25% of auction proceeds will be donated to the displaying of the main Kolkata collection of the Piprahwa gems for Buddhists and the larger public to enjoy. Another 25% will be donated to Buddhist institutions.” With regards to his and his two relatives’ right to sell the gems, he added: “Legally, the ownership is unchallenged.”
From all this, selling actual Buddhist relics is not a large step. As with the commodification of other religions in the west such as Hinduism and Islam, commercialisation always simultaneously involves decontextualisation. It is an example of what philosopher Sophia Rose Arjana in her book Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi (2020) terms “the religious marketplace”.
