Auction: India seeks to stop sale of jewels linked to Buddha remains

Delhi has called the sale of the jewels illegal and demanded for them to be repatriated to India.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveIndia seeks to stop auction of jewels linked to Buddha remains7 hours agoShareSaveNikita YadavBBC News, DelhiShareSaveSotheby'sThe jewels are being sold by a descendant of an Englishman who excavated themThe Indian government has threatened to take legal action against Sotheby's in Hong Kong unless they stop an upcoming auction of jewels linked to the Buddha's remains and requested their return to India.

The auction, which is set to take place on Wednesday, includes gems which were found buried with Buddha's bone fragments more than a hundred years ago.

India's ministry of culture has said the sale "violates Indian and international laws as well as UN conventions", and asked for the jewels should be treated as sacred. The sale has also been condemned by several Buddhists and art scholars globally.

The BBC has reached out to Sotheby's for a comment.

The Indian ministry posted a letter it sent to Sotheby's and Chris Peppé, the great-grandson of William Claxton Peppé, who excavated the relics in 1898, on Instagram.