Found in 1898 from a stupa in Piprahwa, near the Buddha's birthplace in present-day Uttar Pradesh, the cache includes nearly 1,800 jewels.
A remarkable collection of ancient jewels, once buried beside what were believed to be the Buddha's ashes, is set to be auctioned at Sotheby's in Hong Kong this week.
Found in 1898 from a stupa in Piprahwa, near the Buddha's birthplace in present-day Uttar Pradesh, the cache includes nearly 1,800 jewels - pearls, rubies, sapphires, topaz, garnets, coral, amethysts, rock crystals, shells, and gold. These were originally discovered alongside bone fragments identified as belonging to the Buddha.
The relics had been preserved in a private British collection for over a century and are now being sold by three descendants of William Claxton Peppe, the British engineer who led the original excavation. Sotheby's has estimated the auction value at around HK$100 million (around Rs 107 crore).
"These gem relics are not inanimate objects - they are imbued with the presence of the Buddha," Professor Ashley Thompson, of Soas University of London, said, as per The Guardian.
Nicolas Chow, chairman of Sotheby's Asia, called the relics "among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time." The auction house described the offering as being "of unparalleled religious, archaeological and historical importance."
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