India, May 7 -- The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has successfully secured the postponement of the auction of the sacred Piprahwa Buddhist relics by Sotheby's Hong Kong, which was scheduled for May 7, 2025.

The Piprahwa Relics, comprising bone fragments of the Historical Buddha, along with soapstone and crystal caskets, a sandstone coffer, and offerings such as gold ornaments and gemstones, were excavated in 1898 by William Claxton Peppe. An inscription in Brahmi script on one of the caskets confirms these as relics of the Buddha, deposited by the Sakya clan. The majority of these relics were transferred to the Indian Museum, Kolkata, in 1899 and are classified as 'AA' antiquities under Indian law, prohibiting their removal o...