The Indian government has intervened to halt Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction of sacred Buddhist relics excavated in India in 1898, demanding their repatriation. The Culture Ministry issued a legal notice to Sotheby’s, seeking immediate cessation of the auction. Sotheby’s has assured that full attention is given to this matter. These relics, from Piprahwa Stupa, are of immense historical and spiritual significance, with most already housed in the Indian Museum, Kolkata.