On Wednesday, 30 July 2025, the Indian Government announced that the Piprahwa Gems — Buddhist relics discovered in 1898 by a British explorer at a sacred Ashokan era burial site near the Indo-Nepal border — have been repatriated to the country and will soon be put on public display. The storied gems' return to India after more than a century marks a rare victory in the ongoing struggle for the cultural repatriation of ancient relics removed from their countries of origin through colonial conquest, looting, and forceful acquisition.
From Colonial Era Discovery To A Sotheby's Auction
The story of the Piprahwa gems dates back to 1898, when British estate manager William Claxton Peppé excavated a stupa on his estate in Piprahwa, located near the Indo-Nepal border in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India, near where the Buddha is believed to have been buried. Inside the brick chamber, he discovered a soapstone reliquary containing bone and ash, believed to be the remains of the Buddha, along with gold ornaments and over 1,800 delicate gems and semi-precious stones, some of which bore inscriptions identifying them as relics of the Buddha.
Peppé’s discovery was claimed by the British crown under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act. The bones and ash were gifted to King Chulalongkorn of Siam, a prominent Buddhist monarch of the time. While the majority of the 1,800 gems were sent to museums in Kolkata, London, and Yangon, Peppé was allowed to keep roughly one-fifth of the collection. The 334 gems in the Peppé family's possession — appraised at around £9.7 million, or ₹1,133,668,110 — comprise amethysts, coral, pearls, garnets, rock crystals, shells, and gold ornaments. Some were crafted into pendants, beads, and ornaments, while others remained in their natural, unworked state.
Earlier this year, Indian diplomats, scholars, activists, and Buddhist devotees worldwide expressed concerns when several cultural relics were listed for auction at Sotheby's in May. In response, the Indian Government issued a legal notice to the auction house, stating that the Peppé family did not have the authority to sell the relics and that they should be returned to India for "preservation and religious veneration".
A Sign Of The Shifting Currents In The Art World
The repatriation of the Piprahwa gems highlights a significant shift in the art world, where international auction houses, museums, and private collectors are increasingly confronted with the legacy of colonial plunder. Previously, such returns were rare and largely symbolic; however, formerly colonised nations, particularly those in the Global South, are now using a combination of diplomatic pressure, changing public sentiment, legal strategies, and advanced provenance research to reclaim looted artifacts. Notably, India has intensified its cultural diplomacy efforts, successfully retrieving hundreds of artifacts over the past decade from institutions in the US, UK, Australia, and Europe.
The return of the Piprahwa gems signifies a historic achievement in this global campaign for cultural repatriation. Acquired by the Godrej Industries Group in partnership with the Indian Ministry of Culture for an undisclosed sum, these gems will soon join the collection of Buddhist relics currently displayed at the Indian Museum in Kolkata.
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