The collection was originally scheduled to be auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in May but the sale was postponed after the Indian government threatened legal action and demanded the jewels be returned. - Sotheby's
HONG KONG: 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 New Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (July 30) hailed the return of the collection, known as the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha Mauryan Empire, Ashokan Era, circa 240-200 BCE.
