Delhi: PM to inaugurate Buddha-linked Piprahwa relics, gems

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday will inaugurate a grand exposition of the sacred Piprahwa relics, which include bone fragments believed to be of the Buddha, a sandstone coffer, and offerings such as ornaments and gemstones, which were excavated in northern India in the late 19th century.

Titled “The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One,” it is being hosted for a couple of months at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex here.

Following the discovery of the relics at Piprahwa (in today’s Uttar Pradesh) by William Claxton Peppe in 1898, portions were distributed globally, with a part gifted to the King of Siam (now Thailand), another one taken to England, and a part preserved at the Indian Museum in Calcutta (now Kolkata), the Ministry of Culture said.

A selection of the relics retained by the descendants of Peppe — who was of British descent — was listed for auction on May 7 last year by Sotheby’s Hong Kong.

However, the auction was halted, and the relics returned to India in 2025 through “decisive intervention by the ministry, supported by Buddhist communities worldwide, it said.

Now, the ministry is hosting a landmark exposition showcasing the Piprahwa relics, including reliquaries and gem relics.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the exposition shortly.

The exposition underscores India’s role as the birthplace of Buddhism and reinforces its position as a global spiritual and cultural leader, the ministry said.

“India’s global engagement increasingly draws upon its civilisational and spiritual inheritance. As many as 642 antiquities have been repatriated to India, with the return of the Piprahwa relics standing as a landmark achievement,” the ministry said.

“The exposition will open for public viewing from January 4, and it will run for a couple of months,” a senior official told PTI.

Also Read: Deepavali inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

These relics were originally discovered at Piprahwa. A majority of these relics were transferred to the Indian Museum in Calcutta in 1899 and classified as “AA” antiquities under the Indian law, prohibiting their removal or sale, according to the ministry.

The Piprahwa relics are widely believed to be associated with the mortal remains of the Buddha, enshrined by the Sakya clan, officials said. An inscription in the Brahmi script on one of the caskets confirms these as relics of the Buddha deposited by the clan, they said.

For the first time since the 1898 excavation, the exposition brings together relics from the original digging, treasures from the 1972 excavation, reliquaries and jewelled treasures from the Indian Museum, recently repatriated relics from the Peppe family collection, and “the monolithic stone coffer within which the gem relics and reliquaries were originally found,” the ministry said.

The inauguration ceremony will also see the participation of Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, various ambassadors and other members of the diplomatic corps, venerable Buddhist monks, senior government officials, scholars, heritage experts, several members of the art fraternity, art aficionados, followers of Buddhism, and many students.

Enshrined by his followers around the 3rd century BC, these relics have long held immense spiritual value for the global Buddhist community and represent one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Indian history.

Read More: Café du Jardin: where Delhi trades concrete for croissants along a revived Yamuna