The coffer was the principal container for a sacred reliquary ensemble at Piprāhwā. Within it were placed beautifully crafted one crystal caskets and four soapstone caskets, including one inscribed in Brahmi script, declaring it to hold the relics of the Buddha himself, deposited by the Śākyas, the master’s kinsmen. Alongside the caskets, the coffer safeguarded precious votive offerings in the form of precious stones and ornaments made of gold, carnelian, amethyst, silver, topaz, and glass. The sheer scale and craftsmanship of the coffer, combined with the sacred relics it protected, attest to its role as a central object in the Buddhist ritual landscape during the Mauryan period.