Latest news with #Sothebys
New York Times
an hour ago
- Business
- New York Times
Ancient Gems Linked to Buddha Are Returned to India
The Piprahwa Gems, Buddhist relics taken by an English explorer from a sacred burial ground in British-occupied India in 1898, have been repatriated and will go on display to the public, the Indian government announced on Wednesday. The gems are back in their 'rightful home of India' according to a statement by the Indian culture ministry. The Indian government secured their return after intervening in a planned auction of the gems. They had been scheduled to be sold at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong in May on behalf of the English descendants of William Claxton Peppé, who dug them up more than 120 years ago. Instead, an Indian conglomerate, Godrej Industries Group, bought the gems, according to a statement from Sotheby's. The auction house did not disclose the sale price. In its announcement, India's ministry of culture praised its collaboration with Godrej Industries as an 'exemplary public-private partnership,' without giving further detail. The collection comprises more than 300 delicate gems — some just millimeters in length, arranged in intricate patterns of circles and lines. Found alongside bone and ash said to be remains of Buddha, they are among the holiest relics in contemporary religion. Sotheby's postponed its May auction after India's culture ministry issued a legal order saying that the Peppé family did not have the authority to sell the objects and that the relics should be returned to India for 'preservation and religious veneration.' The relics were 'part of India's and the global Buddhist community's spiritual and cultural heritage,' the Indian culture ministry said at the time. 'Their sale violates Indian laws, international norms, and U.N. conventions.' On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India wrote on social media that it was 'a joyous day' for his country. 'These sacred relics highlight India's close association with Bhagwan Buddha and his noble teachings,' he wrote, using a Hindi word for god. Mr. Peppé found the artifacts while excavating land in Piprahwa, a village in northern India, at a sacred burial ground known as a stupa near where Buddha is believed to have been buried. He turned over much of the find to the British state, which occupied India at the time. He donated other parts to scholars and museums, including the Indian Museum in Kolkata, but was permitted to keep some relics, which were passed down in his family. Members of the Peppé family said in a statement shared by Sotheby's that they were excited to return the gems to India, where they would join the collection already on display at the Kolkata museum. 'We are happy that the true significance of the Piprahwa discovery has finally received the public recognition it always deserved,' the statement said.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Huge eight-bed mansion from popular BBC show goes on the market… but would you recognise it?
A HUGE eight-bed mansion from a popular BBC show has gone on the market. Situated on one of the country's most expensive residential roads, Huxley House is available for rent at just under £100,000 a month. 8 8 8 The luxurious property is worth a whopping £17.5 million and has been used to house The Apprentice hopefuls. When they're not being grilled by Lord Sugar in the boardroom or out on anxiety-fuelled jobs, the programme's contestants have previously been seen relaxing at the massive bed. The pile can be found on swanky The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead, North London — dubbed Billionaires' Row. The nine-bathroom luxury abode is thought to be the most expensive pad used by the hit BBC show. It was up for sale last year with posh estate agents Sotheby's but is now up for rent on Rightmove. The house is set behind a private-gated driveway and includes a car lift, as well as multiple landscaped gardens. The rental listing goes onto say there is a state-of-the-art cinema room with bar and wine stores and a full leisure complex, including a 12 metre pool, gym, sauna, steam room, ice fountain and "treatment room". There is also a "generously sized staff quarters" and five reception rooms. The listing adds: "This ambassadorial residence is the embodiment of sophistication and elegant design with many decorative flourishes throughout." As well as being used for The Apprentice, Huxley House has appeared on TV on Channel 4 's Britain's Most Expensive Houses. EastEnders fans are only just realising Rita Simons has a very famous uncle as he appears on her TikTok begging her to return to soap Billionaires' Row, which has 66 mansions, is home to some of the world's richest people. The Saudi royal family sold 10 properties along the street for £73million, while the Sultan of Brunei is thought to own at least one house there. Beatle Paul McCartney 's ex Heather Mills lived in an apartment in one of the houses. Over the years, it's seen many other famous faces including film star Gracie Fields, who lived on the site of The Towers, the former newspaper publisher Richard Desmond, a Nigerian oil billionaire and a Kazakh oligarch. Justin Bieber has even rented mansions in the area. The late Princess Diana and her two sons were also said to be frequenters of the street, who would visit King Constantine II of Greece at his Hampstead pad. It was reported that a royal Saudi Arabian family once bought 10 homes in the midst of the Gulf War, but never set foot in them. 8 8 8 8
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Buddhist gem collection returns to India after 127 years
HONG KONG, July 31 (Reuters) - A collection of hundreds of jewels linked to Buddha's remains has returned to India after 127 years following an auction planned for earlier this year that drew threats of legal action from the government in Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the return of the collection, known as the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha. "A joyous day for our cultural heritage!" Modi wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. "It would make every Indian proud." The collection of more than 300 gems including amethyst, topaz and pearls dates from the Mauryan Empire, Ashokan Era, around 240-200 BCE. The collection, first unearthed by a Briton in northern India, was originally scheduled to be auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in May but the sale was postponed after India's government threatened legal action and demanded the jewels be returned. Sotheby's subsequently identified Indian conglomerate Godrej Industries Group as the buyer and secured a sale that saw the permanent return of the gems to India, where they would be placed on public display. "Sotheby's is delighted to have facilitated the return of the Piprahwa Gems to India," the auction house said in a statement late on Wednesday. India's Ministry of Culture said it was an exemplary public-private partnership and the initiative aligned with Modi's broader mission to reclaim and celebrate India's ancient cultural and spiritual heritage from across the world. The gems were unearthed in 1898 from an ancient stupa in Piprahwa, northern India, by English estate manager William Claxton Peppe, along with fragments of bone thought to belong to Buddha. Peppe was later allowed to keep more than 300 duplicate gems, which remained in his family.
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Buddhist gem collection to return to India after 127 years
HONG KONG, July 31 (Reuters) - A collection of hundreds of jewels linked to Buddha's remains has returned to India after 127 years following an auction planned for earlier this year that drew threats of legal action from the government in Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the return of the collection, known as the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha. "A joyous day for our cultural heritage!" Modi wrote in a post on X. "It would make every Indian proud." The collection of more than 300 gems date from the Mauryan Empire, around 240-200 BCE. The collection was originally scheduled to be auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in May but the sale was postponed after India's government threatened legal action and demanded the jewels be returned. Sotheby's subsequently identified Indian conglomerate Godrej Industries Group as buyer and secured a sale that saw the permanent return of the gems to India, where they would be placed on public display. "Sotheby's is delighted to have facilitated the return of the Piprahwa Gems to India," the auction house said in a statement late on Wednesday. India's Ministry of Culture said it was an exemplary public-private partnership and the initiative aligned with Modi's broader mission to reclaim and celebrate India's ancient cultural and spiritual heritage from across the world. The gems were unearthed in 1898 from an ancient stupa in Piprahwa, northern India, by English estate manager William Claxton Peppe, along with fragments of bone thought to belong to Buddha. Peppe was later allowed to keep more than 300 duplicate gems, which remained in his family.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Buddhist gems return to India after 127 years
HONG KONG, July 31 (Reuters) - A collection of hundreds of jewels linked to Buddha's corporeal relics has returned to India after 127 years following an auction planned for earlier this year that drew threats of legal action from the government in Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the return of the collection, known as the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha Mauryan Empire, Ashokan Era, circa 240-200 BCE. "A joyous day for our cultural heritage!" Modi wrote in a post on X. "It would make every Indian proud." The collection was originally scheduled to be auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in May but the sale was postponed after India's government threatened legal action and demanded the jewels be returned. Sotheby's subsequently identified a buyer and secured a sale that saw the permanent return of the gems to India, where they would be placed on public display. "Sotheby's is delighted to have facilitated the return of the Piprahwa Gems to India," the auction house said in a statement late on Wednesday. "This completes our active search over the past two months to identify the best possible custodian for the gems," it added, without disclosing the name of the buyer. The gems were unearthed in 1898 from an ancient stupa in Piprahwa, northern India, by English estate manager William Claxton Peppe. Peppe was later allowed to keep more than 300 duplicate gems, which remained in his family.
