Hongkong: Sotheby's postponed a jewelry auction related to the Buddha's body on Wednesday, and the Indian government opposed the sale and demanded it to be stopped.
The auction house said the gems were found buried together with the flesh relics of the historical Buddha and were discovered in northern India in 1898. It says their history can be traced back to 240-24 BC.
But the Indian Ministry of Culture said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it had issued a legal notice to Sotheby's Hong Kong legal notice demanding an immediate cessation of the sale, accusing the auction of violating “Indian law, international norms and UN conventions.”
In a letter from Sotheby's on the weekday unanimous Hong Kong, it said the auction involved sacred Buddhist artifacts that constituted an inalienable religious and cultural heritage of the Buddhist community in India and around the world. It demanded the repatriation of the relics to the Indian government, as well as the auction house and Chris Pepe's public apology.
Peppé is the great-grandson of William Peppé of England, who excavated these relics.
The Indian government warned in the letter that non-compliance would lead to legal action and public advocacy campaigns, emphasizing the role of auction houses “in terms of colonial injustice and becoming a political party that immorally sells religious artifacts”.
Sotheby's announced the delay in a statement Wednesday, acknowledging matters raised by the Indian government and saying it was reached based on shippers.
It said: “This will allow discussion between the two parties and we look forward to sharing any updates where appropriate.”
Some of Sotheby's pages about the auction are no longer available on Wednesday.
The Indian Ministry of Culture said on Facebook on Wednesday that it was “happy to inform” that the auction was postponed after the intervention.
