A sense of sacredness prevails in the cultural complex of Qila Rai Pithora in Lado Sarai, Delhi. For the next five months, the formerly inactive gallery space is home to Light and Lotus: Remnants of the Awakened OneCurated by Savita Kumari of the Indian Institute of Heritage and Abira Bhattacharya of the National Museum. The historic exhibition brings together objects from different periods of South Asian art history, prominent among which are jewelery and material remains excavated from the stupa site of Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh.
peppe connection
In 1897, colonial estate manager William Claxton Peppe excavated ‘a mound which was more prominent than the rest’ at Piprahwa, and found a large stone treasure along with five coffins containing huge quantities of bone and ash, gold foil and carved gems. An inscription on one of the relics established that these were probably the remains of the Buddha. Later they were divided into several parties; Most of the jewelery went to the Indian Museum in Calcutta. Peppe was allowed to keep one fifth of his discovery.
In the summer of 2025, Sotheby’s Hong Kong announced an auction of the Peppe family’s share. But the auction was halted after backlash from Buddhists and cultural commentators around the world. A private-public partnership between the Government of India and Godrej Industries Group has now brought the remains back to India.
Piprahwa Gemstone at Sotheby’s Hong Kong
of gems and coffins
At the center of the gallery, overlooking the Noida-based Design Factory India, is a replica of an ancient stupa. Its carved niches, illuminated from within, display gem relics and caskets. The circumambulation path of the stupa has entrances to two large galleries filled with objects from the Indian Museum, Kolkata and the National Museum, Delhi.
Replica of an ancient stupa Light and Lotus: Remnants of the Awakened One exhibition
Professor Naman Ahuja, renowned curator and expert on Buddhist art, recently spoke about the story of the Piprahwa relics and their significance at the Jaipur Literature Festival. magazine Asked him which works should not be missed when visiting the exhibition.
Naman Ahuja
rock crystal casket
3rd century BCE, Maurya, Piprahwa, H. 11.5 dia. 10.3 cm (Indian Museum, Kolkata)
This sarcophagus is an example of the finest lapidary workmanship in rock crystal, one of the hardest substances known on earth. This relic is one of the oldest known. The last part of the fish links it to Megalithic/Iron-Age burials, but its transparency indicates that the remains were meant for viewing [as much as their aura was meant to be sensed]. The fish is filled with granular gold, which has a dazzling effect.
Shakyamuni Buddha’s Relic Gemstone
3rd century BCE, Maurya, Piprahwa (Indian Museum, Kolkata)
An array of brilliant jewels were placed in Piprahwa’s coffins along with cremation ashes, bone fragments and offerings of rice. This collection shows access to mines from many different parts of South Asia. Some gems have been carved into beads and amulets, some have been faceted, and some have been divided into cabochons [polished in their natural shapes]. Although such gems are commonly found in all sacred relic repositories, never have they been found in such quantity or variety. Although I have had the opportunity to study the Peppe collection on several occasions when they were shown in museums abroad, this is the first time that we can see them from the reserve collection of the Indian Museum.
Matrikas
2nd century CE, Kushan, excavations at Piprahwa/Ganawariya, terracotta L. 21 cm, w. 9.8 cm (Piparhwa Archaeological Site Museum, Lucknow Circle)
If the gems are interfered with by the royal Shakyas [the clan to which Siddhartha Gautama belonged] These are examples of how what is donated by people at one end of the economic spectrum reflects the desires and hopes of those at the other end. animal dominated Matrikas Widely used as pre-vote [devotional] Prasad in ancient Indian society. Their presence in many Buddhist monasteries suggests that they were also incorporated into Buddhist practices. They describe how Buddhist monasteries accepted old fertility rituals at their sacred sites.
stupa worship
2nd century BC, Shunga, Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh, height 33 cm, west 39 cm, sandstone (National Museum, Delhi)
This relief is one of the oldest known scenes depicting a stupa in worship. The remains were buried in stupas and the woman who left them is next to a stupa on which devotees [like her] There are left marks made on his right palm. This ancient ritual practice is rarely mentioned in any texts, yet it survives, especially in women’s rituals. Touching the building that housed the remains was a way of keeping in touch with them. This object gives us evidence of how the stupas were worshipped.
The Walking Buddha by Elizabeth Brunner
Painted reed mat, mid-20th century, L. 141 cm, w. 194 cm (National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi)
I would like to go from hands to feet here. Buddha taught monk Traveling from place to place, propagating the religion as they did. just like monks [of Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center] Do it now because we see them ‘Walk for Peace’ on social media all over America these days. The use of common reed mats immortalized the ordinary objects of everyday life of traveling monks as painting material. Many European artists have been inspired by India over the years. Elisabeth Sass-Brunner and her daughter Elisabeth Brunner came to India from Hungary in 1930. elizabeth [the daughter] She stayed in India in the spirit of a thrifty traveler and established herself directly under the guidance of Shantiniketan. [artist] Nandlal Bose.
Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra
1350, Pala, Eastern India (National Museum, Delhi)
Like all manuscripts, this Pala manuscript also has two covers. One is Pala, which is a typical style of painting of Bengal. The second, exceptionally well-preserved book cover illustrated with the story orange person [one of the jatakas of Theravada Buddhism]However, there is one in a different style – one that is associated with Nepal. The monks took ancient Indian manuscripts with them to the countries they came from, which shows the layered history of the objects. The perspective created by the dramatic rock formations shows the continuity of Ajanta, and the quality of the pigments make it one of the best preserved paintings from Buddhist manuscripts anywhere in the world.
Mahaparinirvana
2nd century CE, Kushan, Lorian Tangai (Ancient Gandhara) Schist L. 70 cm, H. 41.3 cm (Indian Museum, Kolkata)
The major moments of Buddha’s biography were determined by the Kushan period. This relief is of great importance to students of art history – to see the quality of the depth of the carving and the precise iconography of the various people present in the lamentation at the Buddha’s awakening. The rectangular format is similar to a Roman sarcophagus, and the contrast between the two mourners, the composed Subhadra and the dramatic Hercules-like Vajrapani, shows us that the Buddha’s passing was for some a moment of peaceful acceptance of a change in the state of the soul, while it was filled with grief for others.
light and lotus Rai can be seen at Pithora Cultural Complex, Lado Sarai, New Delhi.
With inputs from Malavika Madgulkar of The Marg, who is launching a section on Buddhist relic culture with a special focus on Piprahwa.
published – January 24, 2026 11:03 am IST