Latest news with #IndianMuseum
Deccan Herald
18-05-2025
- Science
- Deccan Herald
Saroj Ghose, 'Father of India's Science Museums', passes away in US
National Council of Science Museums-NCSM mourns the sad demise of Dr. Saroj Ghose, our founding Director General and a trailblazer of the Science Museum and Science Centre movement in India. (1/3) — National Council of Science Museums-NCSM (@ncsmgoi) May 18, 2025 Indian Museum, Kolkata mourns the passing of Dr. Saroj Ghose — Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, ex-Director of Indian Museum & DG, NCSM. He gave India its Science City, led ICOM globally & made museums more accessible. His passing on #InternationalMuseumDay feels deeply symbolic. — Indian Museum (@IndianMuseumKol) May 18, 2025
The Print
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
Buddha's gems at Sotheby's shows Indian govt doesn't have an eye on ‘colonial loot'
The issue started when in early May, Sotheby's scheduled the auction of the gem relics found by Peppe (about 344 gemstones) for a whopping 9.7 million pounds. Although Sotheby's paused the auction by 7 May, promising to review the matter, the incident triggered debates over the ownership and restitution of artefacts displayed during British rule. under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act the British crown would have been the rightful claimant of Peppé's find . This is why a majority of the gems are currently housed at the Indian Museum in Kolkata. Peppé was reportedly permitted to keep about a fifth of the 1,800 gems found. Some of which were described as 'duplicates' by British colonial administrators at the time, but there is no clarity on what the term denoted. It came as a shock to the entire world, especially to India because these gems are part of the sacred relics including the bone relics of Buddha himself. This prompted the Government of India, Ministry of Culture, to take matters into their hands and write a stern but detailed letter to Sotheby's appealing to them to stop the auction or else they will be seen as voluntarily 'participating in continued colonial exploitation'. In the 1898, a British estate manager, William C Peppé dug up a Buddhist Stupa at Piprahwa and stumbled upon a soapstone casket containing relics of Gautama Buddha and a cache of precious gems, which may have been weaved into a necklace or some other form of jewellery, as part of the offerings. More than a century later, a controversy surrounds these gemstones as the heir of Peppe moves to auction them at Sotheby's. The case is further complicated by Chris Peppe, the fourth-generation custodian of the Piprahwa relics, who despite acknowledging his custodianship, claimed ownership and sought to monetise the holy relics. Not only does this episode highlight several critical legal and ethical concerns but also underlines the broader issue of colonial loot and the absence of robust legal frameworks, which has empowered 'custodians' to authorise sales and the auction houses to proceed even when the sacred relics are associated with a religious figure such as Buddha. What are these relics? The archaeological remains at Piprahwa are located 9km north of Birdpur in Siddharthanagar district of Uttar Pradesh, roughly 1.5 km south of the Indo-Nepal border. The region was part of the Birdpur estate, a principal estate that comprised more than 250 villages during the colonial era. It was given to multiple companies for its development and upkeep but all of the ventures failed miserably. Until 1848, when William C Peppé, a British engineer who was managing multiple estates for the government, became the estate manager to oversee significant developments such as the irritation. During his stay he was fascinated with piles of archaeological remains and began digging the Piprahwa stupa. This excavation was driven more by the prospects of finding treasure than by archaeological intent. About 10 feet below the surface, he unearthed a soapstone inscribed relic casket with sacred remains of Gautama Buddha and other offerings. Further digging, at 18 feet below the surface, revealed a massive sandstone coffer containing five vases including a crystal and silver vase along with other offerings of precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, bones and ashes. The coffer and the casket are housed at the Indian Museum. It was from this coffer William Peppé kept a few 'duplicates' with him. The recovered bone relics were presented to King Rama V of Thailand. These bone relics were further divided into three shares between Thailand, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. The rest of the relic remains were handed over by Peppe as a token of gratitude to Sri Lankan monk Sri Subhuthi Mahanayake Thero. He assisted in the excavation. This portion is kept at Waskaduwa Viharaya, a Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka's Kalutara. After the Archaeological Survey of India took the ownership of the site, it was excavated by archaeologist KM Srivastava and his team from 1971 to 1977. Digging deeper than Peppé's level, they discovered two additional steatite relic caskets containing a total of 22 sacred bone relics. Twenty bone fragments are kept at the National Museum, New Delhi while the remaining two are at Indian Museum, Kolkata. Who is a custodian? In early February, Chris Peppe wrote for Sotheby's website recounting the story of nostalgia and rediscovery attested to the Piprahwa relics. He described the tradition of passing down these relics as family heirlooms, starting from William Peppé to his son and finally to Chris Peppe and his cousins in 2013. He also claimed that the gem relics were 'duplicate', allowing William Peppé to retain them while the rest were distributed. He argued that their very declaration as duplicate made these relics inconsequential enabling the sale. However, the definition of the term 'duplicate' remains ambiguous. A formal and legal authentication is also absent in this case. In the befitting reply, the Ministry of Culture outlined four key objections. The first focused on provenance and ownership, casting doubt on the term duplicate. It is also not clear if these are replicas or simply multiples of similar gems? The second objection was addressed to the term 'custodianship'. As per GOI, custodianship does not grant any legal right to alienate or misappropriate the asset of extraordinary heritage of humanity. India pointed out that even if the colonial government of that time gave custodianship to William Peppé, his descendants had no legal grounds to sell the relics. Therefore, the right of first refusal for resumption of custodianship goes to India, Moreover, the relics, reportedly stored in a shoe box, were improperly maintained, further undermining the custodian's credibility. The notice also refers to relevant laws and conventions such as the Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878, applicable to the gem relics. It affirms that the ownership of the discovered relics lies with the colonial government, not William Peppé. Moreover, the UNESCO Convention of 1970 designates relics as cultural property. The gems thus require joint authorisation from India and China for any auction. In addition, the Hague Convention (1954) and Second Protocol (1999) emphasise the sacred and non-commercial status of cultural property of religious significance, categorising the Piprahwa relics under 'enhanced protection'. Lastly, the ministry cited precedents involving restitution of Buddhist relics, such as the return of the Sanchi Stupa relics excavated by Alexander Cunningham, which was sent back from Victoria and Albert Museum to India in 1952. Although Chris Peppe continues to claim that legally the ownership is unchallenged, the grounds of these claims are not clear. This case exemplifies the persistence of colonial mindset in claiming ownership of cultural property removed from the colonies. Also read: Excavation is just the beginning. Complex sites like Kaushambi need evidence-based approach A path to restitution This brings up the need for establishing global frameworks specifically addressing colonial-era artefacts. Independent institutions/organisations should be established to mediate restitution cases and resolve ownership disputes. Additionally, India must take stock of all the antiquities in possession of private collectors, university departments and museums both domestically and abroad. Thousands of antiquities of Indian origin are housed in famous museums across the globe. India should go through diplomatic channels and document them, identify date and provenance and maintain a record diligently. Similarly at home, there is a need to maintain a record and keep an eye on antiquities, especially those in private collections. According to the Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878, the Indian government, not William Peppé, legally owns the relics. On what grounds can an estate manager take sacred relics and pass it down to his heirs, all while miraculously claiming what can be understood as ownership. Having said that, lapses have been made from our end as well. Post Independence India established its own legal framework for protecting antiquities. At the same time through diplomacy we have been successful in getting many stolen, smuggled and removed objects. In this case when Chris Peppe was moving these relics from New York to Hong Kong for exhibition, why didn't our government take stock of the matter? Given the legal framework and diplomacy why didn't we reach out to the Peppe family, if not restitution, at least for basic documentation. For over a century it never occurred to us to get these relics back when the casket and coffers were in India. Is it lethargy or devil may care attitude? It is also important to note that in the absence of protective infrastructure, many artefacts are relatively safer in museums abroad, but when it's the case of private collections, India will have to take up a ginormous task to maintain an inventory. In the end whether India will be able to get these relics back or not, time will only tell, but the restitution of objects taken by colonial officers assuming the right of ownership, is incorrect and intolerable. Disha Ahluwalia is an archaeologist and research fellow at the Indian Council of Historical Research. She tweets @ahluwaliadisha. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
World's longest banana infructescence found in the forests of Andamans
An infructescence of about 4.2 metres has been recorded in a species of wild banana from Andaman and Nicobar islands, making it the longest infructescence recorded in bananas across the world. The details of the discovery were published in an international peer reviewed science journal Botany Letters earlier this year. The infructescence was recorded in an endemic species of wild banana, the Musa indandamanensis, that was first recorded from a remote tropical forest near Krishna Nala reserve forest in the Andaman and Nicobar islands in 2012 and found mention in a science journal in 2014. Initially when the species of Musa indandamanensis was discovered in the Little Andaman islands by Lal Ji Singh, head of the regional centre of Botanical Survey of India in the Andaman and Nicobar Island, the infructescence of the specimens were about 3 metres long. Usually, the infructescence ( fruit bunch lux axis) of cultivable species of bananas are about 1 metre long, the scientist said. A few months ago, Dr Singh and his team came across the species of wild banana in Campbell Bay in the Nicobar group of islands, and the infructescence recorded was longer than all other specimens recorded in the past. 'Musa indandamanensis L.J. Singh holds the record for having the long infructescence of banana in general and wild bananas in particular which is an endemic variety found in ANI (Andaman and Nicobar Islands),' reads the paper published by Botany Letters earlier this year. 'Though the length of the trees recorded in 2012 and recently are the same, standing at about 11 metres in height, the girth of the stem of the wild banana trees differ. The species recorded from Little Andamans had girth of less than 100 cm, however the specimens recorded from Campbell Bay had a larger girth of about 110 cm,' Dr. Singh said. Specimens on display After the discovery of the infructescence, specimens have been sent to museums across the country including the Indian Museum in Kolkata, where a 4.2 metre long specimen has been on display in the industrial section of the Botanical Survey of India for several months. Another specimen over four metres is in the Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre museum. Since the species has been assessed as 'Critically Endangered,' as a part of ex- situ conservation of Musa indandamanensis, saplings of this species have been introduced in Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden Howrah, Botanical Garden of Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, and the Central Regional Centre Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. What makes the wild banana Musa indandamanensis important, apart from the infructescence (fruit bunch lux axis), is the natural genetic resource for plant breeders to develop high yielding and disease resistant varieties. The fruits of Musa indandamanensis are golden yellow or orange and when ripened turn into golden orange pulp with plenty of irregular shaped seeds, Dr. Singh said. He added that all the specimens of the wild banana have been recorded near water falls or water streams in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands. The Botanical Survey of India scientist who has discovered over 25 species as new to science including a discovery of a new genus, said that the Andamans and Nicobar Islands are an ecological hotspot where more botanical research needs to be undertaken to bring more wonders to light.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
World's longest banana infructescence discovered in Andamans
An infructescence of about 4.2 metres has been recorded in a species of wild banana from Andaman and Nicobar islands, making it the longest infructescence recorded in bananas across the world. The details of the discovery were published in an international peer reviewed science journal Botany Letters earlier this year. The infructescence was recorded in an endemic species of wild banana, the Musa indandamanensis, that was first recorded from a remote tropical forest near Krishna Nala reserve forest in the Andaman and Nicobar islands in 2012 and found mention in a science journal in 2014. Initially when the species of Musa indandamanensis was discovered in the Little Andaman islands by Lal Ji Singh, head of the regional centre of Botanical Survey of India in the Andaman and Nicobar Island, the infructescence of the specimens were about 3 metres long. Usually, the infructescence ( fruit bunch lux axis) of cultivable species of bananas are about 1 metre long, the scientist said. A few months ago, Dr Singh and his team came across the species of wild banana in Campbell Bay in the Nicobar group of islands, and the infructescence recorded was longer than all other specimens recorded in the past. 'Musa indandamanensis L.J. Singh holds the record for having the long infructescence of banana in general and wild bananas in particular which is an endemic variety found in ANI (Andaman and Nicobar Islands),' reads the paper published by Botany Letters earlier this year. 'Though the length of the trees recorded in 2012 and recently are the same, standing at about 11 metres in height, the girth of the stem of the wild banana trees differ. The species recorded from Little Andamans had girth of less than 100 cm, however the specimens recorded from Campbell Bay had a larger girth of about 110 cm,' Dr. Singh said. Specimens on display After the discovery of the infructescence, specimens have been sent to museums across the country including the Indian Museum in Kolkata, where a 4.2 metre long specimen has been on display in the industrial section of the Botanical Survey of India for several months. Another specimen over four metres is in the Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre museum. Since the species has been assessed as 'Critically Endangered,' as a part of ex- situ conservation of Musa indandamanensis, saplings of this species have been introduced in Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden Howrah, Botanical Garden of Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, and the Central Regional Centre Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. What makes the wild banana Musa indandamanensis important, apart from the infructescence (fruit bunch lux axis), is the natural genetic resource for plant breeders to develop high yielding and disease resistant varieties. The fruits of Musa indandamanensis are golden yellow or orange and when ripened turn into golden orange pulp with plenty of irregular shaped seeds, Dr. Singh said. He added that all the specimens of the wild banana have been recorded near water falls or water streams in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands. The Botanical Survey of India scientist who has discovered over 25 species as new to science including a discovery of a new genus, said that the Andamans and Nicobar Islands are an ecological hotspot where more botanical research needs to be undertaken to bring more wonders to light.
NBC News
07-05-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Auction of gems found with Buddha's remains is postponed after India objects
HONG KONG — Sotheby's has postponed the auction of a collection of ancient gems linked to the Buddha's remains after the Indian government threatened legal action and demanded their repatriation. The auction of the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha has been postponed 'with the agreement of the consignors,' three descendants of a British colonial landowner who excavated them, Sotheby's said in a statement Wednesday. 'This will allow for discussions between the parties, and we look forward to sharing any updates as appropriate,' the auction house said. India had slammed the planned auction of the gems, which William Claxton Peppé dug up on his northern Indian estate in 1898, as offensive to the world's 500 million Buddhists and a violation of Indian and international law and United Nations conventions. The Piprahwa gemstones, part of a dazzling cache of more than 1,800 artifacts that are now mostly housed at the Indian Museum in Kolkata, are named after the town in what is now the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh where they were buried in a stupa, or funerary monument, around 200-240 BC. The gems were said to be enshrined on top of the existing cremated remains of Buddha, who died around 200 years earlier, and many Buddhists believe they are imbued with his presence. The 334 gems had been scheduled to go on sale Wednesday in Hong Kong, where Sotheby's put them on display in a public exhibition. They were expected to sell for about 100 million Hong Kong dollars ($12.9 million). Secured in three glass cases and surrounded by a trove of other Buddhist artifacts, the display included shimmering penny-sized silver and gold-leaf stars embossed with symbols, along with pearls, beads and flowers cut from precious stones including amethyst, topaz, garnet, coral and crystal. 'Nothing of comparable importance in early Buddhism has ever appeared at auction,' Sotheby's said on its website, which on Wednesday was no longer promoting the sale. In a letter dated Monday and shared online, the Indian Ministry of Culture said the gems were sacred relics and 'not separable from the remains they accompany,' according to Buddhist theology and archaeological standards. 'To separate and sell them violates religious doctrine and international ethical norms for handling sacred remains,' the letter said. The sale was also condemned by Buddhist scholars and religious leaders. At the time of the discovery, the British Crown claimed the find under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act, giving the bones and ashes to Buddhist King Chulalongkorn of Thailand. But the Peppé family was allowed to keep a fifth of the relics, and they have been passed down for generations. 'I hope they will go to someone who really values them,' Chris Peppé, Peppé's great-grandson, wrote in a February piece for Sotheby's accompanying the auction catalogue. The Indian government said Peppé, a TV director and film editor based in Los Angeles, lacked authority to sell the gems and that by facilitating the sale, Sotheby's was 'participating in continued colonial exploitation.' It said if Peppé no longer wished to have custody of the gems, they should be offered first to India. Peppé did not respond to a request for comment. He told the BBC that his family had explored the possibility of donating the relics but had run into obstacles and that an auction seemed to be the 'fairest and most transparent way to transfer these relics to Buddhists.'
