'Homecoming' of sacred Piprahwa gems, matter of joy and celebration: Shekhawat

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday said during the colonial rule, a portion of sacred Piprahwa relics were taken out of the country, and now the exposition of the Buddha-linked artefacts found during the 1898 excavation in northern India, along with the recently repatriated gems, is a matter of joy and celebration.

The grand exposition -- "The Light and the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One" -- hosted at at the Rai Pithora Cultural Complex here, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day.

These relics were originally discovered in 1898 at Piprahwa (in today's Uttar Pradesh) by William Claxton Peppe.

This historic event marks the reunification of the Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha, repatriated after 127 years, with relics, gem relics, and reliquaries from the 1898 excavation and subsequent 1971-1975 excavation at the Piprahwa site, the ministry said.

The exposition features over 80 objects, including sculptures, manuscripts, thangkas, and ritual items, spanning from the 6th century BC to the present, it said.

Following their discovery, portions were distributed globally, with a part gifted to the King of Siam, another one taken to England, and a part preserved at the Indian Museum in Calcutta (now Kolkata), the Ministry of Culture said on Friday.

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 in 2025 through "decisive intervention by the ministry, supported by Buddhist communities worldwide", it said.

Shekhwat said after 127 years, "it marks the homecoming of sacred Piprahwa gems".

And, its two separately kept parts, now being reunited through this exposition, and for people to see them, he said.

"It is a matter of joy and celebration, and for us it is also a moment of global inspiration," the minster said.

During the colonial rule, the portion of the relics were taken out of the country, he said, adding the exposition displays 1898 excavation-related artefacts and its records.

In his address, he also thanked Godrej Foundation.

On the return of the relics to India in July, the ministry had said, "This successful repatriation sets a benchmark in cultural diplomacy and collaboration, showcasing how strategic partnerships between public institutions and private enterprise can protect and preserve global heritage." 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 website of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland states that Peppe was born in India in 1852, his father being an estate manager in northern India. In the spring of 1897, Peppe began to excavate a mound near the village of Piprahwa.

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. PTI KND NB