JAIPUR: A family based in the United States was allegedly preparing to sell ancient remains believed to be the bones of Lord Buddha through a major international auction house, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat revealed on Saturday. The announcement was made during a public hearing at his residence in Jodhpur.The relics, once taken out of the country during British rule, were recently traced to a family in the United States that was allegedly preparing to sell them through an international auction house.Speaking at a public hearing at his residence in Jodhpur, Shekhawat said that the relics had appeared in a Sotheby’s catalogue earlier this year, triggering swift intervention by the Indian government. “We stopped the auction and informed them that the Government of India wanted to claim and officially receive the relics,” he said.The sacred remains were originally discovered in 1898 during British-led excavations at Piprahwa in the Kapilvastu region, present-day Uttar Pradesh. They were found inside a stone casket believed to belong to the Shakya clan—Lord Buddha’s own family. The casket contained a crystal container with ashes said to be of Buddha, along with belongings of his nephew and other kin. British officer William Peppe, who led the excavation, took possession of a large portion of the relics, some of which later made their way overseas.
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