Piprahwa’s Archaeological Finds: When Colonial Specimens Turn Holy

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Naman P. Ahuja, Jawaharlal Nehru University
• Wednesday 29 October 2025, 13:00-14:00
• McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Seminar Room.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Geonyoung Kim.

The recent attempt to sell the relics of the Buddha excavated from the ancient stupa at Piprahwa raised several questions at the heart of which is how Indian and international imperatives around sacred remains have changed since their discovery. In this lecture, Prof. Ahuja will explain how relics are defined in Buddhism, their role in geopolitics, changes in the law, and how these shifts impact museology.

Naman P. Ahuja is Professor of art history at JNU and the General Editor of Marg.

This talk is part of the Department of Archaeology - Asian Archaeology Group Seminar Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Department of Archaeology - Asian Archaeology Group Seminar Series
• McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Seminar Room

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.