Piprahwa Gems

09.05.2025

Piprahwa Gems

Why in the news?                        

             Buddhist scholars and monks from around the world expressed concerns over the auction of ancient Piprahwa Gems which they say were widely considered to be imbued with the presence of the Buddha.

About Piprahwa Gems:

• The Piprahwa Gems denote the cache of jewels discovered interred in a stupa, or burial monument, in Piprahwa, located in present-day Uttar Pradesh.
• According to an inscription carved into one of the reliquaries, the stupa contained the remains of the Buddha himself.
• The gems were believed to have been combined with some of the cremated remains of the Buddha, who died around 480 BC.
• They were excavated by William Claxton Peppe, a British colonial engineer, after excavating part of his estate in 1898. The site was the first credible find of the Buddha’s relics in modern times.
• The British crown claimed Peppé’s discovery under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act, and the bone and ash fragments were gifted by the British to King Chulalongkorn of Siam, now Thailand.
• The Piprahwa gems include amethysts, coral, garnets, pearls, rock crystals, shells, and gold, either worked into pendants, beads, and other ornaments, or in their natural form.
• Most of the 1,800 gems went to what is now the Indian Museum in Kolkata.
• But Peppe was permitted to retain about a fifth of them, some of which were described as “duplicates” by British colonial administrators at the time.

                                                           Source: Business Standard

What was significant about the Piprahwa site in archaeological history?

A.Evidence of early trade between India and West Asia

B.First Mauryan palace excavation

C.First credible discovery of Buddha’s relics in modern times

D.Location of the earliest Buddhist monastery

Answer C