A set of sacred Buddhist relics linked to the historical Buddha has returned to India, more than two months after Sotheby’s abruptly pulled their auction in Hong Kong following international backlash.

Known as the Piprahwa Gems, the lot – described by archaeologists as one of the most astonishing finds of the modern era – comprised more than 300 ancient artifacts believed to have been buried alongside the Buddha’s remains over 2,000 years ago. The collection was slated to go under the hammer on 7 May, with bidding expected to start at HK$10 million (around US$1.2 million).

But the sale drew condemnation from Buddhist leaders worldwide – and diplomatic intervention from India, which accused both Sotheby’s and the consignor of violating domestic heritage laws and international cultural property conventions. Just hours before the auction, Sotheby’s postponed the sale, citing ongoing discussions between the parties. 

Those talks appear to have concluded on 30 July, when the relics were formally and permanently returned to India. "It would make every Indian proud," wrote India's prime minister Narendra Modi on X, "that the sacred Piprahwa relics of Bhagwan [Lord] Buddha have come home after 127 long years." 

While the terms of the deal remain confidential, Sotheby’s confirmed the new owners of the relics as the Godrej Industries Group, one of India’s largest family-run conglomerates. The relics will now go on permanent public display in India. 

There are broadly two pathways by which cultural property is returned to its country of origin. The first is legal and relatively straightforward: when there is clear evidence that an object was stolen or illicitly exported, the claimant state can pursue restitution through diplomatic or legal channels, often with the support of local law enforcement.

The second is more complex. In cases where ownership is disputed or the passage of time makes it difficult to prove wrongdoing, governments may turn to private buyers – often patriotic business leaders – purchase the item on the open market and donate or loan it to museums for public display. 

In this case, the buyer was Godrej Industries Group. 

In a statement, Sotheby’s said it was delighted to have facilitated the historic return of the gems to India.

“This completes our active search over the past two months to identify the best possible custodian for the gems. Today is the culmination of our close collaboration with the Peppé family, the government of India and the newly-announced owners of the gems – the Godrej Industries Group. Now concluded, this sale will see the permanent return of the Piprahwa Gems to India where they will be on public display for years to come,” it said. 

“This is one of the most significant instances of repatriation of our lost heritage,” said India’s Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, describing the arrangement as “an exemplary case of public-private partnership.”

Godrej Industries, founded in 1897 and headquartered in Mumbai, operates across consumer goods, real estate, agriculture, energy, IT, aviation – even defense – and serves over 1.1 billion consumers in more than 60 countries. Its products are household staples in India, and the Godrej family is among the country’s wealthiest.

Forbes estimated the family’s net worth at US$16.7 billion in 2023. The current chairman, Adi Burjorji Godrej, is ranked 866th on the Forbes global rich list, and it was his son, Pirojsha Adi Godrej, Godrej Industries’ Executive Vice Chairperson, who oversaw the handover of the relics.

The relics trace back to a British-led excavation in the late 1890s, when William Claxton Peppé unearthed a stone coffer at Piprahwa, a site in northern India near the Nepalese border. Beneath a dome-shaped monument, or stupa, sealed since the 3rd century BCE, Peppé discovered five reliquary urns, bone fragments, and around 1,800 ritual objects – including gemstones, pearls, gold, silver, and shells.

One urn bore an inscription in ancient Pali: “This shrine for relics of the Buddha, the August One, is that of the Sakyas, the brethren of the Distinguished One.”

It was a remarkable find. The remains and offerings, many believed, belonged to the historical Buddha himself. 

But with India under colonial rule, the discovery posed diplomatic challenges. To avoid religious or political controversy, Peppé consulted King Rama V of Siam (modern-day Thailand), then the world’s only reigning Buddhist monarch. With British approval, the bone relics were gifted to the Siamese king, who later distributed them to major Buddhist temples across Asia.

The accompanying 1,800 objects were transferred to the Indian Museum in Kolkata, but Peppé was permitted to retain over 300 items described as "duplicates." These stayed in his family for generations, until his great-grandson, Chris Peppé, consigned them to Sotheby’s – calling the auction the “fairest and most transparent way” to return them to the Buddhist world.

Just days before the sale, the Indian government issued a public statement calling for the sale to be cancelled. The ministry argued that the auction violated Indian law, international agreements, and multiple United Nations conventions. Legal notices were sent to both Sotheby’s Hong Kong and the seller.

In its statement, the ministry maintained these weren’t “duplicates” or “specimens” but sacred offerings that had been interred with the Buddha’s remains. In Buddhist tradition, such subjects are known as dhatu, and are considered spiritually and culturally indivisible from the relics.

The government also noted that all artifacts excavated from the Piprahwa stupa are, under Indian law, considered state property. They are classified as “AA” antiquities, meaning they cannot be sold or exported.

While Peppé may have been granted temporary custodianship during the colonial period, the ministry said this did not amount to ownership. “It is a legal principle,” the statement reads, “that custodianship does not grant any right to alienate or misappropriate the asset.”

Shortly before the auction, Sotheby’s announced it was postponing the sale, citing “discussions between the parties.” India’s Ministry of Culture confirmed the postponement on Facebook, stating it was “pleased to inform” the public that the auction had been halted following its intervention.