Crystal & Ash: The Buddha at Piprahwa has been edited by Marg’s General Editor Naman P. Ahuja (@mulla_do_piaza) and is now available for purchase!
This Marg edition studies the excavations of relics of the Buddha from Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh. Removed from India for over 130 years, it was only last year that these relics were brought back. In the intervening decades, rumours were rife that duplicates had been made and ownership was repeatedly claimed by different Buddhist stakeholders; an attempt was made to sell the relics in public auction last year.
The essays in this volume look at India's historical relationship with archaeological findings, contextualise the Piprahwa relics in a wider understanding of Buddhism, tackle the issue of holy objects and human remains appearing in secular museums, and observe the relevance of 'relic diplomacy', where relics are means of geopolitical exchange, a process initiated by Emperor Ashoka that continues today.
