In the 1898, a British estate manager, William C Peppé dug up a Buddhist Stupa at Piprahwa and stumbled upon a soapstone casket containing relics of Gautama Buddha and a cache of precious gems, which may have been weaved into a necklace or some other form of jewellery, as part of the offerings. More than a century later, a controversy surrounds these gemstones as the heir of Peppe moves to auction them at Sotheby’s. India pointed out that even if the colonial government of that time gave custodianship to William Peppé, his descendants had no legal grounds to sell the relics.
https://theprint.in/opinion/buddhas-gems-at-sothebys-shows-indian-govt-doesnt-have-an-eye-on-colonial-loot/2622708/
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