What Are Piprahwa Relics, Scared Remains Buddha That UK Finally Returned To India?
A deeply symbolic chapter of India's cultural revival unfolded this week as the sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha were brought back from the UK, 127 years after they were first excavated and taken abroad. Once at risk of being sold to the highest bidder, the priceless artefacts are now enshrined in the Piprahwa Buddha Temple in Uttar Pradesh and safeguarded in the National Museum in Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sharing the moment on social media, posted a photo of the relics with the message, 'A joyous day for our cultural heritage! It would make every Indian proud that the sacred Piprahwa relics of Bhagwan Buddha have come home after 127 long years."
The relics, believed to include bone fragments of Lord Buddha himself, had narrowly escaped an international auction just weeks ago. According to officials, the remains were set to be sold by Sotheby's through Chris Pepe, a descendant of British engineer William Pepe who led the original excavation in 1898.
That excavation, conducted in Piprahwa, unearthed a massive stone casket from an ancient stupa believed to have been built by the Shakya clan, the family of Siddhartha Gautama, after the Buddha's cremation. Inside the casket were sacred bone relics, crystal and soapstone urns, and thousands of precious stones: over 1,800 pearls, rubies, sapphires, topaz, and thin golden sheets.
While most of the treasures were sent to the Indian Museum in Kolkata under the Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878, some remained in William Pepe's private collection with the British government's permission. These heirlooms remained in the family for over a century until Chris Pepe prepared to auction them in 2024.
The Centre, upon learning of the planned sale, acted swiftly. On May 5, the Ministry of Culture issued a legal notice, calling the auction a violation of Indian laws and international agreements, including those under the United Nations. The notice stated that 'these relics are an invaluable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community. Trading them is illegal and immoral".
Widespread criticism from Buddhist organisations followed, and international pressure mounted. Sotheby's, the auction house, eventually backed out, stating that their intention had been preservation, not sale.
Union Minister of Culture Gajendra Shekhawat was present in Piprahwa for the reinstallation of the relics. The return was coordinated diplomatically and quietly, with the gems, valued at more than Rs 100 crore, now divided between the National Museum in Delhi and the Buddha temple at the original excavation site.
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
29 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: India must not bend the knee before Trump's tariffs
Hello, and welcome to the Best of BS Opinion, our distilled wrap of today's Opinion page. Our lead columnist Shyam Saran makes a forceful case for standing up to the United States' geopolitical arm-twisting using tariffs as leverage. Not resisting now will lead to bigger demands in the future, he warns, and could had long-term consequences for India's national security, credibility, and influence. There will certainly be a price to pay, and India should be prepared, not by closing off its economy but by making it more outward-looking. As it is, the US' tariffs will only have a modest impact on India's GDP, a price the country should be willing to pay. In fact, he says, India should follow its Look East policy more vigorously because that region wants India to be a counterweight to China. It should also become part of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, where currently neither China nor the US is present. Insulating the nation from the vagaries of Trump's policies may be best served by this initiative, he says. It is not easy steering Indian democracy in live action: witness the often-raucuous scenes that play out on our screens when Parliament is in session. Yet, it is a role that Harivansh Narayan Singh has in the past played to near-perfection, writes Aditi Phadnis. As deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, he was unerringly fair, always putting principle over party. It also helped that he was unfailingly polite. A former journalist who is credited with the turnaround of Bihar Prabhat, his politics hewed close to former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, who was a major political influence in his life. With the Vice President's position falling empty with Jagdeep Dhankhar's abrupt resignation, political circles are abuzz with names of likely candidates for the second-highest position in the republic. It is no surprise that Singh's name is among them - a win would redefine his political career. India, and the rest of the world, is trying to figure Donald Trump out so as to survive him until the midterm elections in the US two years from now. Before that, India must look find ways to protect itself from his monumental irrationality. But first, we must also look within at the bipolarity within the Indian 'establishment' - which encompasses government and its multi-faceted support base, including social media and TV studio experts, write Shekhar Gupta. From being euphoric about our closeness to the US and India finally gaining its rightful place at the world table, the Indian establishment is now reverting to Cold War-level suspicion of Uncle Sam and playing hurt victim. The other element of bipolarity exists within the establishment itself, he points out: even as the Prime Minister and others are acting quietly and prudently, working the levers behind the stage, the support base is the exact opposite, in a constant state of anger and hurt. There is something about nostalgia that makes us want to revisit the past, no matter how long ago. We all go back at least once to our school or college or hostel, just to soak in our memories one more time. The recent box-office success of Indian movies upon a re-release seems to prove that point. Sandeep Goyal pulls on that thread and wonders if a rerun of brand campaigns that have had a successful first innings would work the second time around. Recalling some of India's most iconic ad campaigns - Gold Spot's 'The Zing Thing', Parle's 'Melody itni chocolatey kaise bani', and Tata Sky's 'Isko laga daala to life jhinga-la-la, to name just a few - he bats for a second coming of such memorable ads. There are caveats, though: Tinkering with the original might backfire spectacularly, as Cadbury's gender-reversed re-run of Dairy Milk showed. Chintan Girish Modi, pens a heartfelt ode - ironically, in prose - to the legendary Eunice de Souza, poet extraordinaire and teacher at the equally famous St Xavier's College in Mumbai. August 1, when this column was written, is also de Souza's birthday and is commemorated by the college as Poetry Day, a rare incidence of anyone celebrating either a poet or a teacher, or as in this case, both. Modi recites parts of her poems, and is struck by her distinctive voice, and even more by her freedom with - and within - the language, unencumbered by the need for obscure allusions and pretentious references.
Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Cricketer Rinku Singh removed as SVEEP icon over ‘neutrality concerns'
LUCKNOW The Election Commission of India (ECI) has removed Indian cricketer Rinku Singh from the voter awareness campaign - SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) - in Uttar Pradesh. Rinku Singh was engaged to Samajwadi Party MP from Machhlishahr Lok Sabha constituency Priya Saroj on June 8. (File Photo) Due to his popularity among youths, Singh was included in the campaign as a youth icon to motivate voters. But on Friday, the UP chief electoral officer (CEO) directed district administration officers across UP to remove all publicity material, including posters, videos and photos from websites, featuring Singh. Singh was engaged to Samajwadi Party MP from Machhlishahr Lok Sabha constituency Priya Saroj on June 8. Top SP leaders including party chief Akhilesh Yadav attended the ceremony organised in Lucknow. 'After the engagement, Singh is associated with a political person. The icon engaged in the voter awareness campaign should remain apolitical and neutral, in both spirit and practice. The decision to remove Singh has been taken to maintain impartiality in the awareness campaign,' said an officer from the CEO office. Though Rinku Singh had not made any political statement or expressed intent to join politics after engagement with Priya Saroj, but ECI rules clearly state that any perceived political connection is sufficient ground for removal of the icon from an official public outreach initiative, the officer said. Political circles were abuzz with reaction over the ECI's decision, with some terming it as a fair decision by the poll panel and others saying that even after engagement with a politician, Singh did not indulge in politics. However, there was no comment from Rinku Singh or Priya Saroj over the ECI's decision. Rinku Singh shot into the limelight following his remarkable performance when he hit five consecutive sixes in an over during an IPL match, which gave a thrilling victory to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Gujarat Titans in 2023. KKR had retained Singh for ₹13 crore in the recently concluded IPL. Appointment as BSA doubtful? Meanwhile, the cricketer's appointment as basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) in UP also seemed to be in for a problem after reports that the basic education department, UP, had put his file on hold. Even when Rinku's name figured for the post of BSA netizens took to social media questioning his educational qualifications. Authorities from the basic education department neither confirmed nor rubbished the news of cancellation of Rinku's appointment as BSA. Principal secretary (sports) Manish Chauhan said the file was sent to the basic education department and he had no idea what happened thereafter. Director, basic education, Pratap Singh Baghel said he too had no information and pleaded ignorance on developments on over Rinku's appointment. Another official said the state government is committed to the development of facilities for sports and encouragement of sportspersons. In the last eight years, on one hand, sports infrastructure has been developed at the rural level, while on the other hand, medal winning players are being given respectable prize money along with government jobs. UP remains the leading state in the country in terms of giving government jobs to players who have raised the prestige of the country and state through sports at the international level, he said.
Hans India
29 minutes ago
- Hans India
Here is all about CM Revanth Reddy's ‘Young India' mission inspired from Gandhi
At a state-of-the-art skilling facility South of Hyderabad, picture a bunch of fresh engineering graduates learning the nuances of autotronics from seasoned engineers of Mahindra Group. Imagine a group of newly graduated nurses completing a 3-month finishing-skills course offered by the best of professionals from Apollo Hospitals. At the end of the course, Mahindra and Apollo would pick them all and glowing careers would follow. Would you believe, all of this is being made possible from a government-established institute called the Young India Skills University (YISU) in Telangana. According to the former journalist P Anvesh Reddy, Job-readiness, or the lack of it, among fresh graduates, is at the core of the idea behind the Revanth Reddy-led Government of Telangana's launch of YISU in August 2024. Behind the thought of YISU is the Telangana Chief Minister's decision to echo Mahatma Gandhi's views on the inherent value of college degrees. Over a century ago, Mahatma Gandhi in his weekly journal Young India, wrote, "An academic grasp without practice behind it is like an embalmed corpse, perhaps lovely to look at but nothing to inspire or ennoble." Indian politicians rarely speak about having an under-skilled young population. Revanth Reddy acknowledged the elephant in the room. Sadly, for as large a population as India's, Gandhi's words still hold true as an overwhelming section of today's graduates do not possess industry-standard skills. Gandhi's idea of 'Young India' reflects "the voice of India" and hence, the underlying problem of education in India -- 'academic grasp without practice' – needs to be addressed. More so in an AI-era. Revanth Reddy, who swore-in as Telangana's Chief Minister in December 2023, was quick to sense this. Within months, he pooled in industrialists of the likes of Anand Mahindra of Mahindra Group, Sanjeev Bikhchandani of Info Edge, and Suchitra Ella of Bharat Biotech, to bejewel YISU's Board of Governors. Anand Mahindra was appointed as the chairman of YISU. He had even agreed to adopt the University's automotive department. The Chief Minister appealed to the industrialists to become partners in YISU. A permanent campus for YISU is being built in the upcoming Bharat Future City, an ambitious net zero city project touted to become the next growth engine for Hyderabad. Brand 'Young India' The Skills University was named with the iconic prefix 'Young India'. The idea is not just to do poetic justice. The idea is to do real justice to the young Indians, by matching their skillsets with market needs through a self-reliant institution -- with zero government intervention. YISU's success would naturally trigger replication elsewhere in India. In the 1980s, Telangana's (erstwhile Andhra Pradesh) reforms in education were replicated as a model for India, especially with the launch of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). India's first Open University, the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad, pioneered distance education with print, radio, and study centres. Its success proved the feasibility and impact of open learning in India. IGNOU went on to become the world's largest university in terms of student enrolment. Since Bhavanam Venkatarami Reddy in 1982, Revanth Reddy is the first Chief Minister in united Andhra Pradesh's history to serve as the State's full-time education minister. He has plans for revolutionary educational reforms. This is an exception not just in Telangana or Andhra Pradesh, but also in Indian politics of recent past. Telangana is building ultra-modern social welfare residential schools called Young India Integrated Residential Schools in all the 119 Assembly constituencies, with Rs 200 crore allocated for each school campus. Also, the Young India Police School was launched exclusively for the children of police personnel, while the Young India Sports University is being set up with a vision to produce future Olympians. While India could likely become the world's third largest economy in the coming years, unemployment continues to be a burning issue. And Gandhi's idea of 'Young India' could take today's young Indians a long way in such pursuit.
