NewDelhi Sep 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting the United States to address the 76th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, is set bring back 157 stolen Indian antiquities being returned by the US government.
PM conveyed his deep appreciation for the repatriation of antiquities to India by the US.
PM Modi looking through the catalog of antiquities being returned by the United States.
PM Modi and US President Joe Biden expressed their commitment to strengthen their efforts to combat the theft, illicit trade and trafficking of cultural objects.
Over 200 stolen artefacts have reportedly been brought to India since 2014.
The list of 157 artefacts includes a diverse set to items ranging from the one and a half metre bas relief panel of Revanta in sandstone of the 10th CE to the 8.5cm tall, exquisite bronze Nataraja from the 12th CE.
The antiquities consists of figures linked to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism.
The items largely belong to the period of 11th CE to 14th CE as well as historic antiquities such as the copper anthropomorphic object of 2000BC or the terracotta vase from the 2nd CE. Some 45 antiquities belong to Before Common Era.
Incidentally, the National Gallery of Australia in July 2021 announced its plans to return $2.2 million of stolen artworks to India.
While half of the artifacts (71) are cultural, the other half consists of figurines which relate to Hinduism (60), Buddhism (16) and Jainism (9).
Their make spreads across metal, stone and terracotta. The bronze collection primarily contains ornate figurines of the well-known postures of Lakshmi Narayana, Buddha, Vishnu, Siva Parvathi and the 24 Jain Tirthankaras and the less common Kankalamurti, Brahmi and Nandikesa besides other unnamed deities and divine figures.
More antiquities are reportedly in various stages of retrieval from different countries.
The motifs include religious sculptures from Hinduism (Three headed Brahma, Chariot Driving Surya, Vishnu and his Consorts, Siva as Dakshinamurti, Dancing Ganesha etc), Buddhism (Standing Buddha, Boddhisattva Majushri, Tara) and Jainism (Jain Tirthankara, Padmasana Tirthankara, Jaina Choubisi) as well as secular motifs (Amorphous couple in Samabhanga, Chowri Bearer, Female playing drum etc).
Modi government has said to have been actively pursuing the recovery of antiquities that were stolen and forcibly taken away by colonialists over the years.
There are 56 terracotta pieces (Vase 2nd CE, Pair of Deer 12th CE, Bust of Female 14th CE) and an 18th CE sword with sheath with inscription mentioning Guru Hargovind Singh in Persian).
The artefact repatriation is reportedly in continuation to Modi’s efforts bring back Indian antiquities and artefacts from across the world.