India, June 24 -- The Piprahwa relics, associated with Lord Buddha, has evinced a lot of public interest in India and the Buddhist-majority countries recently, especially after a purported auction was blocked at the last moment. Ranjita Biswas delves into the controversy with help of the publication Crystal & Ash: The Buddha of Piprahwa

The Piprahwa relics associated with Lord Buddha suddenly caught public attention last year as the collection of a private owner was about to go under the hammer and at the last moment it was blocked at the intervention of the Indian government.

On May 5, 2025, GOI issued a legal notice to Sotheby's Hong Kong, and a descendant of the Peppe family (who was putting up the collection for sale) emphasising it...