Overview

It all began with a tiny box, found in a cupboard in the London office of the Buddhist Society. Inside were twelve pieces of jewelry which, according to a faded ink inscription, were part of the relics of the Buddha unearthed at the Indian site of Piprâwâ in 1898. A few weeks later, a letter sent to the Buddhist Society by the grandson of an amateur archaeologist led to the discovery of more jewels in Suffolk. Did these rare objects really come from the Buddha's tomb?