Jewels linked to Buddha's remains set to be auctioned in Hong Kong: Report

A collection of rare jewels believed to be buried alongside the mortal remains of Buddha will be auctioned on Wednesday at Sotheby's in Hong Kong. This move is being questioned by historians and Buddhist leaders - is it ethical to sell sacared objects?

The jewels were discovered in 1898 at Piprahwa, present-day Uttar Pradesh near Buddha's birthplace. William Claxton Peppé, an English estate manager found them buried in a brick chamber during the excavation of dome-shaped funerary monument, called a stupa. Bone fragments were found in an urn inscribed with a dedication to the Buddha himself, alongside the jewels as per a report by BBC.

The gems include amethysts, coral, garnets, pearls, rock crystals, shells and gold, either worked into pendants, beads, and other ornaments, or in their natural form.

While William was permitted to retain approximately a fifth of the 1,800 gems discovered, the rest went to the colonial museum in Kolkata. The bone relics were given to countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where they continue to be venerated.

Chris Peppé, great-grandson of William writes that he inherited the jewels along with two others cousins in 2013. The family tried to donate the relics to temples and museums but all options presented problems and an auction seemed the "fairest and most transparent way to transfer these relics to Buddhists".

The auction house, Sotheby's international specialist and head of sale said, "We conducted requisite due diligence, including in relation to authenticity and provenance, legality and other considerations in line with our policies and industry standards for artworks and treasures," the publication reported.

Prof Ashley Thompson, of Soas University of London along with curator Conan Cheong, in a joint statement raising some pertinent questions 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."

Buddhist leaders, too, are questioning the move. Amal Abeyawardene of the London-based British MahaBodhi Society, as per the report, said, "Historical records indicate that the Sakyamuni clan were granted custody of these relics, as the Buddha emanated from their community. Their wish was for these relics to be preserved alongside adornments, such as these gems, so that they may be venerated in perpetuity by the Buddha's followers."