Jewels linked to Buddha remains go to auction

Sparking ethical debate, a cache of dazzling jewels linked to the Buddha’s mortal remains, which have been hailed as one of the most astonishing archaeological finds of the modern era, will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. For over a century these relics, unearthed from a dusty mound in northern India in 1898, have sat largely unseen, cradled by a private British collection. Now, as the gems prepare to leave the custody of their keepers, they are stirring not just collectors’ appetites but also some unease.

The jewellery comes from a glittering hoard of nearly 1,800 pearls, rubies, topaz, sapphires, and patterned gold sheets, first glimpsed deep inside a brick chamber in present-day Uttar Pradesh in India, near the Buddha’s birthplace. Their discovery, alongside bone fragments identified by an inscribed urn as belonging to the Buddha himself, reverberated through the world of archaeology. Nicolas Chow, chairman of Sotheby’s Asia and worldwide head of Asian Art, believes this is among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time.

Yet, as these relics now face the glare of the auction room, experts question BBC with question whether it is ethical to sell treasures so intimately woven into India’s sacred past.