It is believed that Dr. Alois Anton Führer deceived the venerable monk U Ma of Mandalay by claiming that a horse bone was a Buddha relic. From that incident, the venerable monk suspected something was amiss,it is revealed that the mentioned relic was enshrined at the Tawadeintha Maha Abhaya Ceti in Mandalay.
Later, the same Dr. Führer frequently requested the relic back from the venerable monk.
From the Author's Notes, Written in 2014:
The English Lord and the Relic Deception
I watched "Bones of the Buddha" by National Geographic. The author Charles Allen elaborated on the matter.
In Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, India, there's an ancient stupa. In 1898, an English estate owner named William Claxton Peppe excavated the stupa with laborers and discovered a large stone reliquary box. Inside were four small urns containing gold, gems, and what appeared to be flower-like decorations, about 1,600 beads, bones, and ashes. One of the urns had an inscription.
Peppe took a copy of the inscription and consulted German archaeologist Dr. Alois Anton Führer, who was then working in Nepal. Upon translating it, Führer claimed the text said: “These are the relics of the Buddha, revered along with his brothers, sisters, wives, sons, and daughters.”
W.C. Peppe then announced this find to the world. However, not long after, Dr. Führer was exposed as a fraud, accused of forging ancient artifacts and deceiving others about relics. He was dismissed from his job.
This scandal caused people to doubt the authenticity of Peppe’s relics. While the British government hesitated, the King of Thailand showed a strong interest in acquiring the relics. Eventually, the British government agreed to divide the relics: one-third stayed in England, and two-thirds were distributed.
Later, Charles Allen presented the Piprahwa urn’s inscription to Indian historian Prof. Harry Falk, who confirmed it was authentic and not forged by Dr. Führer. The stone box was dated to Emperor Ashoka’s time (~245 B.C.E). Allen concluded that the Buddha was often referred to as “the Sakya Sage” and “Sage of the Shakyas.” After the Buddha’s parinibbāna, the relics were divided and one portion was returned to Kapilavastu (Piprahwa), where Ashoka later built a stupa.
Ashoka tried to promote Buddhism as a state religion, but this faced opposition from Hindus. After Ashoka’s death, the Buddhist monuments were neglected or destroyed. The Muslim invasions later sealed this decline. The British rediscovery revived interest.
In 1971, Indian archaeologist K.S. Srivastava re-excavated the Piprahwa site and found another reliquary, suggesting that this was indeed the ancient city of Kapilavastu and that genuine Buddha relics had been rediscovered.
Charles Allen affirmed that Peppe’s discovery was authentic. However, scholar T.A. Phelps disputed this view, claiming the inscription was forged by Dr. Führer in collaboration with Peppe. Phelps highlighted that Führer had a long-standing relationship with Peppe and was involved in deceitful schemes from as early as 1896.
Official British documents reveal that Führer had tried to sell relics to the venerable monk U Ma in Mandalay, falsely claiming they were the Buddha's relics, but in fact, they were horse bones. U Ma grew suspicious and rejected the claim, noting that the relics were from a 27-foot-tall being—far greater than a horse or ordinary human.
Despite the scandal, Thailand’s Crown Prince, Jinavaravansa, who was in India at the time, expressed strong interest in the relics. The British, wary of political sensitivities, agreed to share the relics among Buddhist countries: Thailand (Wat Saket), Myanmar (Shwedagon Pagoda), Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura), and Japan (Nittaiji Temple).
However, some Indian scholars still argue that these are not Buddha’s relics but human bones. Charles Allen had the relics examined at London’s Natural History Museum, and one relic turned out to be a pig bone. He commented that this might have been mixed in during the distribution process.
K.S. Srivastava’s 1971 excavation led to a committee investigation, which concluded that some claims were exaggerated. Even Prof. Harry Falk, who analyzed the Piprahwa inscription, admitted doubts—saying even modern forgeries can look ancient.
Scientific analysis would be the best way forward. Testing rice grains from the brick structure at Piprahwa dates them between 20 AD and 220 AD, placing the construction in the early Kushan period.
Now, Peppe’s descendants plan to auction their portion of the relics. Before that, scientific analysis may confirm or refute their authenticity once and for all.
Note: There’s no confirmation that any of these relics were enshrined at Shwedagon Pagoda.
References:
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The Bones of the Buddha: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3044472/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_2
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Alois Anton Führer (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alois_Anton_F%C3%BChrer
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The Piprahwa Deceptions: https://web.archive.org/.../http://www.piprahwa.org.uk/
