"In light of the matters raised by India’s government"
Sotheby’s has postponed the Hong Kong auction of sacred jewels linked to the Buddha after threats of legal action from India.
The auction house had planned to sell the Piprahwa collection on May 7. But officials in Delhi said the items were sacred and should not be traded.
The auction was to feature hundreds of jewels discovered in northern India in 1898.
They were found alongside bone fragments identified as belonging to the Buddha.
However, many scholars and Buddhist leaders raised concerns about the morality of putting such relics on the market.
Delhi-based art historian Naman Ahuja said:
“Are the relics of the Buddha a commodity that can be treated like a work of art to be sold on the market?
“And since they aren’t, how is the seller ethically authorised to auction them?”
Ashley Thompson, of SOAS University of London, and curator Conan Cheong said the auction raises deeper questions.
They said: “Other ethical questions raised by the sale are: should human remains be traded? And who gets to decide what are human remains or not?
“For many Buddhist practitioners around the world, the gems on sale are part and parcel of the bones and ash.”
The Indian government said in a letter to Sotheby’s that the relics were the “inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community. Their sale violates Indian and international laws, as well as United Nations conventions”.
Explaining that the auction had been halted, Sotheby’s said:
“In light of the matters raised by India’s government and with the agreement of the consignors, the auction… has been postponed.”
It added that updates would be shared “as appropriate”.
The website page advertising the auction had been removed by May 7.
A high-level Indian delegation held talks with Sotheby’s on Tuesday.
William Claxton Peppé, a British estate manager, discovered the jewels at a stupa in Piprahwa, near Lumbini, the Buddha’s believed birthplace.
The relics, from around 240-200 BCE, were found inside a brick chamber.
They included nearly 1,800 gems such as rubies, topaz and sapphires, along with patterned gold sheets.
Sotheby’s had described the collection in February as “among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time”.
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