Hong Kong - Sotheby's postponed the auction of a batch of ancient gemstones related to the body of the Buddha, threatening legal action and demanding repatriation in India.

In a statement Wednesday, Sotheby's said the auction of the Historical Buddha's Piprahwa gems had been postponed "with the consent of the shipper," three descendants of a British colonial land owner who excavated them.

"This will allow discussion between the two parties and we look forward to sharing any updates where appropriate," the auction house said.

India slammed the planned auction of gems, which William Claxton Peppé dug in 1898 at his northern Indian estate, an attack on 500 million Buddhists in the world, in violation of Indian and international law and the United Nations Conventions.

The Piprahwa gem is part of the dazzling library of over 1,800 symbols that are now housed primarily in Kolkata’s Indian Museum, named after the towns that are now Uttar Pradesh, India, which are buried in stupas or entertainment monuments around 200-240 bc.

These gems are said to be on the existing cremated remains of Buddha statues that died 200 years ago, and many Buddhists believe they are filled with his existence.

The 334 gems are scheduled to be available in Hong Kong on Wednesday, and Sotheby's has shown them in a public exhibition. They are expected to sell for about $100 million ($12.9 million).

The display is fixed in three glass boxes and surrounded by other Buddhist artifacts, including glittering silver and gold-leaved stars with symbols engraved, as well as pearls, beads and flowers cut from precious stones, including amethyst, top layer, garnet, garnet, coral, coral and crystal.

"In early Buddhism, there was no comparable importance in auctions," Sotheby's said on its website.

According to Buddhist theological and archaeological standards, the Indian Ministry of Culture said in a letter shared online on Monday that the stones are sacred relics and are “intrinsically inseparable from the remains.”

"Splitting and selling them violates religious doctrines and international ethics to deal with the sacred remains," the letter said.

Buddhist scholars and religious leaders also condemned the deal.

At the time of discovery, the British royal family claimed that the discovery had given bones and ashes to the Thai Buddhist king Chulalonglong according to the Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878. However, the Pepe family was allowed to retain one-fifth of the artifacts and have been passed down for generations.

“I hope they’ll go find someone who really values ​​them,” Pepe’s great-grandson Chris Peppé wrote in the auction catalogue that came with Sotheby’s in February.

The Indian government said Peppé, the Los Angeles-based TV director and film editor, lacked the power to sell gemstones, and by promoting sales, Sotheby's "participated in ongoing colonial exploitation." It said that if Peppé no longer wishes to keep the gemstones, it should be provided to India first.

Peppé did not respond to a request for comment. He told the BBC that his family explored the possibility of donating the artifacts, but encountered obstacles, and the auction seemed to be "the fairest and most transparent way to transfer these relics to Buddhists".