Months after their return to India from Sotheby’s Hong Kong, nearly 130 years since they were taken away by William Peppé, the sacred Buddhist relics of Piprahwa are set to be displayed for the first time in New Delhi. Ahead of the exhibition, Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal speaks to The Indian Express .

Edited excerpts:

Sotheby’s auction was slated for May 7. What made India think it could attempt to get the relics back?

I joined as the Culture Secretary on April 21 and the issue cropped up in the very first week. It was also raised by Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, when I called on him soon after joining. I gathered details, alerted the agencies concerned, including the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and started exploring legal options.

The relics in

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