The United States has returned 297 antiquities to India that were illegally smuggled out of the country, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit, officials announced on Sunday. This latest handover underscores India’s ongoing efforts to reclaim its cultural heritage.
Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude on social media, stating, “Deepening cultural connect and strengthening the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural properties. I am extremely grateful to President Biden and the US Government for ensuring the return of 297 invaluable antiquities to India.” With this, India has recovered a total of 640 ancient artefacts since 2014, including 578 returned by the US alone.
Preserving heritage and culture: restituting antiquities. The US side has facilitated the return of 297 stolen or trafficked antiquities during the visit of PM @narendramodi to US,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
“PM @narendramodi and @POTUS @JoeBiden witnessed a few antiquities on the sidelines of their bilateral meeting as a symbolic handing over of the artefacts. India and USA recently signed the first ever Cultural Property Agreement to prevent illegal trafficking of cultural property and retrieval of antiquities,” Jaiswal posted.
The return of these cultural treasures marks another significant milestone in the strong relationship between India and the United States, building on similar recoveries during Prime Minister Modi’s previous visits. Among the notable antiquities repatriated to India are a sandstone ‘apsara’ from central India, dating back to the 10th-11th century CE, a bronze Jain Tirthankar from the 15th-16th century CE, a terracotta vase from eastern India from the 3rd-4th century CE, and a stone sculpture from South India dating between the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE.
Other important artifacts include a bronze Lord Ganesh from South India from the 17th-18th century CE, a sandstone statue of a standing Lord Buddha from North India from the 15th-16th century CE, and a bronze Lord Vishnu from Eastern India, also from the 17th-18th century CE.
Apart from the current visit, the earlier visits of Modi to the USA have also been particularly fruitful in return of antiquities to India.
Officials said during his visit to the US in 2021, 157 antiquities were handed over by the US government, including the exquisite bronze Nataraja statue from the 12th century CE. Also, a few days after his US visit in 2023, 105 antiquities were returned to India.
India’s successful recoveries extend beyond the USA, with 16 artefacts being returned from the UK, 40 from Australia among others, they noted.
In 2021, the US handed over 157 antiquities, including a 12th-century bronze Nataraja statue, and in 2023, an additional 105 antiquities were returned shortly after Modi’s visit.
India has also recovered artefacts from other countries, including 16 from the UK and 40 from Australia. In stark contrast, between 2004 and 2013, only one artefact was returned to India.
In July 2024, India and the US signed a historic ‘Cultural Property Agreement’ during the 46th World Heritage Committee session in New Delhi, aimed at preventing and curbing the illicit trafficking of Indian antiquities to the US.
Officials credited PM Modi’s diplomacy for securing these returns, as his proactive efforts have led to the recovery of significant cultural artefacts, further reinforcing India’s cultural identity.
