Sotheby’s postpones auction of jewels linked to Buddha after backlash in India

The gems date back to around 240-200 BC, the auction house said (Sotheby’s via AP)

Sotheby’s has postponed an auction of jewels associated with Buddha’s remains after the Indian government opposed the sale and demanded it be halted.

The gems were found buried together in reliquaries with the corporeal relics of the historical Buddha and discovered in northern India in 1898, the auction house said. They dated back to around 240-200 BC, it added.