HONG KONG (AP) — Sotheby’s deferred the auction of jewellery linked to Buddha's relics on Wednesday, following the Indian government's objection to the sale and its call for its immediate cessation.

The auction house said that the gems for sale were found buried with the physical remains of the historical Buddha in containers called reliquaries. They were discovered in northern India in 1898. The auction house also said that the gems are thought to be from around 240-200 BC.

However, India’s Ministry of Culture asserted in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it had served a legal notice on Sotheby’s Hong Kong, demanding an immediate cessation of the sale and alleging that the auction contravened “Indian laws, international norms, and UN conventions.”

In a letter sent to Sotheby's Hong Kong on Monday and shared on Facebook, the organisation stated that the auction includes sacred Buddhist relics, which they consider an inherent and indispensable part of the religious and cultural legacy of both India and the worldwide Buddhist community. They called for the return of these relics to the Indian government and a public apology from both the auction house and Chris Peppé.

Peppé is a great-grandson of British William Peppé, the excavator of the relics.

The Indian government warned in a letter that if they didn't follow the rules, there would be legal actions and public campaigns to show how the auction house was helping to continue colonial injustice and taking part in the wrong sale of religious items.

In a statement on Wednesday, Sotheby’s declared the postponement, acknowledging the concerns articulated by the Indian government and stating that this decision had been reached in concert with the consignors.

This would facilitate dialogue between the parties involved, and we anticipate providing updates as and when suitable.

Several of Sotheby's auction-related webpages were inaccessible as of Wednesday.

The Indian Ministry of Culture announced on Facebook on Wednesday that the auction had been postponed following its intervention, expressing its satisfaction with this outcome.