The planned public auction of a collection of gems historically associated with the relics of the Buddha in Hong Kong has been postponed with immediate effect.
The auction, organized by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, was scheduled to take place today (May 7). However, the decision to halt the sale was made just a few hours before the event was set to begin.
The move comes following legal intervention by India, which sent an official legal notice to Sotheby’s, urging the auction house to immediately suspend the sale and return the artifacts to India.
The contested collection includes nearly 1,800 pieces of jewelry—comprising pearls, gems, sapphires, gold, and other valuables—discovered in 1898 during excavations of a stupa in Piprahwa, located in Uttar Pradesh, India. The site also yielded bone fragments believed to be those of the Buddha.
The estimated value of the gem collection is approximately 100 million Hong Kong dollars.
