Archive · 13 Dec 2025
Sacred Buddhist relics return to India
A long time ago, some very old and special Buddhist relics were taken from India to another country.
These relics are like holy treasures.
Recently, the Indian government worked hard to bring them back.
They asked the auction house Sotheby’s to stop selling them.
A kind person named Pirojsha Godrej helped by buying the relics and giving them back to India.
Now, the relics will be shown in museums in India so everyone can see them.
The government made sure the relics will stay in India forever and won’t be sold again.
Sacred Buddhist relics from Piprahwa, India, were set to be auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in May 2024.
Indian government intervened, citing Indian and international laws, to prevent the sale and secure the relics' return.
Pirojsha Godrej, an Indian philanthropist, facilitated the relics' return through a public-private partnership.
The relics were ceremonially received in India on July 30, 2024, and will be displayed in government and private museums.
The Indian government ensured the relics will remain inalienable and cannot be sold or moved out of India without permission.
- Who
- Indian government, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Pirojsha Godrej, Chris Peppé
- What
- Return of sacred Buddhist relics to India
- When
- Relics returned in July 2024, auction was scheduled for May 7, 2024
- Where
- Relics were in Hong Kong, now in India
- Why
- Relics are sacred and should not be sold, part of India's cultural heritage
- Relics
- Bone fragments, soapstone and crystal caskets, sandstone coffer, gold ornaments, gemstones
- Original Location
- Piprahwa, India
- Taken By
- William Peppé
- Auction House
- Sotheby’s Hong Kong
- Return Method
- Public-private partnership with Pirojsha Godrej
- Current Possession
- Indian government
- Display Plan
- Government museum for 5 years, then Godrej museum
- Legal Basis
- UNESCO 1970 Convention, UNIDROIT 1995 Convention, EGMONT protocol