India Recovers Ancient Buddhist Relics from Sotheby's Auction
Published on 7.31.25
India has recovered ancient Buddhist relics, known as the Piprahwa gems, which date back to around the third century BC and were unearthed in 1898 near Buddha's birthplace in northern India. The gems were originally removed from the country during the British colonial period and were scheduled to be auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in May. In partnership with Mumbai-based conglomerate Godrej Industries Group, India successfully pressured Sotheby's to cancel the sale, allowing the relics to be repatriated to their country of origin.