Some of the relics include pearls, rubies, sapphires and other gemstones. Sotheby's
Venerable Yon Seng Yeath, chancellor of Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, and head of Phnom Penh’s Wat Ounalom, has joined with Buddhist conservatives around the world to protest an upcoming auction by Sotheby’s Hong Kong. The May 7 auction will see more than 300 sacred Buddhist relics go under the hammer.
According to the BBC, the relics include gemstones, excavated in 1898 from the Piprahwastupa in India, believed to be linked to the Buddha’s remains. Valued at over $10 million, the sale of the relics, unearthed by British colonial engineer William Claxton Peppé, have sparked outrage among Buddhist monks, scholars and communities worldwide.
Critics argue the sale disrespects the spiritual significance of the pieces, treating them as commodities rather than sacred artefacts which are central to the Buddhist faith.
The relics were discovered in a bronze urn with an inscription linking them to the Buddha’s Sakya clan, and are considered rare archaeological marvels. Indian officials and Buddhist organisations, including the Maha Bodhi Society, have demanded their repatriation to India, reported Sri Lanka-based The Sunday Times.
Sotheby’s has defended the auction, claiming the relics’ provenance is well-documented and their sale complies with international laws.
The auction house also highlighted their display in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore, suggesting public access mitigates concerns. However, experts argue the relics belong in a museum or temple, not on the market, given their cultural and religious importance.
Professor Ashley Thompson and Conan Cheong from the School of Asian Studies (SOAS), University of London, described the pieces as “profoundly meaningful”.
Thompson wonders whether anyone can “imagine a better world attentive to Buddhist perspectives and a more ethical arts trade”.
Venerable Yon Seng Yeath, chancellor of Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, has decried the upcoming auction of holy Buddhist relics. Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University
The controversy underscores broader issues of colonial-era looting and the ethics of auctioning sacred items. The auction’s timing, near the sacred day of Vesak Bochea, intensifies the sense of violation felt by many devotees.
Seng Yeath, the first Cambodian monk to graduate from Harvard University, told The Post that he cannot support the auction, as doing so would devalue what he described as humanity’s respect for Buddha, let alone Buddhist followers.
“We cannot put things which carry the respect of so many human beings up for sale. They are the representatives of the wisdom of Buddha. In my opinion, all of the pieces should be kept at pagodas or other sacred places, such as museums, in any country which the owners prefer,” he said.
“They are not ordinary objects, and should not be appearing in what is basically a market,” he added.
