As part of PM Modi US visit to the United States, the US government helped repatriate 297 antiquities back to India. Certainly, this is one feather in the cap of the cultural and diplomatic aspect of the relationship. These are pieces of immense value of India's glorious historical and cultural heritage smuggled out of the country. The exchange was part of ongoing efforts between the two nations to combat illegal trafficking in cultural property.
A Landmark in Cultural Repatriation
The PMO made it an official statement, stating the importance of the returned items, most of which cover a timeline of 4,000 years-from 2000 BCE to 1900 CE. The PM thanked the President of the United States, Joe Biden, for supporting these invaluable antiquities to be returned. He wrote that these items are not just historical objects but integral parts of India's civilizational consciousness. PM Modi's visit further consolidated cultural cooperation between the two countries as both parties confessed to the need to regulate illegal trafficking of cultural objects. In this ceremony, the US has further contributed to the current trend of recovery of looted artifacts from India.
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. @POTUS @JoeBiden pic.twitter.com/0jziIYZ1GO— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2024
Returned Antiquities
The recovered artefacts embrace a variety of India's vast historical and cultural regions. The artefacts include terracotta artefacts from Eastern India, stone and metal sculptures, and pieces of wood and ivory.
Some of the notable pieces include:
- Apsara in sandstone from Central India, dating back to the 10-11th century CE.
- Jain Tirthankar in bronze from Central India, belonging to the 15-16th century CE.
- Terracotta vase from Eastern India, dating to the 3-4th century CE.
- Stone Sculpture from South India, dating back to the 1st century BCE-1st century CE.
- Lord Ganesh in bronze from South India, from the 17-18th century CE.
- Standing Lord Buddha in sandstone from North India, from the 15-16th century CE.
- Lord Vishnu in bronze from Eastern India, dating back to the 17-18th century CE.
- Anthropomorphic figure in copper from North India, belonging to 2000-1800 BCE.
- Lord Krishna in bronze from South India, from the 17-18th century CE.
- Lord Karthikeya in granite from South India, dating to the 13-14th century CE.
This latest return brings the total to 578 Indian artefacts brought back from the US since 2016, making it the country that has repatriated the highest number of antiquities to India. It would also be important to mention that the US had returned 157 artefacts during PM Modi's visit in 2021 and 105 more during his visit in 2022. India and the US signed their very first Cultural Property Agreement with the intention of preventing and combating the illicit trafficking of antiquities from India. It was finalized during the 46th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi during July 2024.
Inputs by Agencies
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