In the tangled saga of India’s humiliation and plunder, the story of the Piprahwa relics is not just about archaeology. It is about spiritual theft, cultural looting, and imperial arrogance that took 127 years to correct.
On the morning of July 30, 2025, the sacred relics believed to belong to the Buddha came back to Indian soil. Their journey began in 1898 when a British colonial officer, Claxton Peppé, dug them out from the earth of Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh. He is remembered not for devotion, but for treating India's sacred past like a garage sale discovery.
These relics, instead of being returned to the land that gave them meaning, were kept by his descendants. They were not guardians. They were keepers of stolen treasure. And like all imperial loot, it stayed abroad while India waited, demanded, and finally acted.
The present government under Narendra Modi marked the day as joyous. But let us call it what it is. It is restitution. These relics, including 334 precious stones such as amethysts, garnets, pearls, coral, and gold, along with the ashes of the Tathāgata, are not collector’s items. They are fragments of a civilization that once led the world in thought and faith.
When these relics were quietly listed for auction at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, the State responded with rare speed. This was not public relations. It was a matter of national honour. The Ministry of Culture stepped in and reminded the world that some things are not for sale. It is available neither to any bidder nor at any price, per se.
It was not just red tape that needed to be cut. The Financial Intelligence Unit had to ensure that no shady deals slipped through. And here, the Godrej Foundation played a role that deserves more than a passing mention. Mr. Pirojsha Adi Godrej acted not as a businessman but as a citizen. His foundation stepped in, not to own but to protect, not to possess but to preserve.
As per the agreement, the relics will remain at the National Museum in Delhi for three months. After that, a large part of the collection will continue to be displayed for five more years. The rest will move to a newly built cultural institution in Mumbai. This is not a dilution of ownership. It is a practical solution that balances access with security.
This episode is not for chest-thumping. It is a lesson. These relics represent a spiritual link interrupted by conquest. Their return is not nostalgia. It is justice. For a country that wishes to be taken seriously as a moral force, it must first reclaim its stolen soul.
This homecoming is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a larger mission. India must now press harder for the return of every idol, manuscript, sculpture, and relic that was taken in the name of empire and lies locked in foreign museums.
Let it spark the will to recover every torn page of our heritage and every lost piece of our pride.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
