From 10th century Apsara idol to 17th century Lord Krishna idol: 297 antiquities stolen, trafficked from India returned by US during PM Modi's visit

Wilmington/New Delhi: On the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States, the US side facilitated the return of 297 antiquities that had been stolen or trafficked from India, including idols of Lord Krishna, Lord Ganesha and the Buddha.

These artifacts will shortly be repatriated to India.

In a symbolic handing over, a select few pieces were showcased to Prime Minister Modi and President Joe Biden on the sidelines of their bilateral meeting in Wilmington, Delaware. Prime Minister thanked President Biden for his support in the return of these artefacts. He noted that these objects were not just part of India’s historical material culture, but formed the inner core of its civilization and consciousness, a statement said.

The antiquities belong to a time period spanning almost 4,000 years, from 2000 BCE – 1900 CE and have origins in different parts of India. Majority of the antiquities are terracotta artefacts from Eastern India, while others are made in stone, metal, wood and ivory and belong to different parts of the country.

Some of the notable antiquities handed over are:

* Apsara in sandstone from Central India belonging to 10-11th century CE;

* Jain Tirthankar in bronze from Central India belonging to 15-16th century CE;

* Terracotta vase from Eastern India belonging to 3-4th century CE;

* Stone Sculpture from South India belonging to 1st century BCE-1st century CE;

* Lord Ganesh in Bronze from South India belonging to 17-18th century CE;

* Standing Lord Buddha in sandstone from North India belonging 15-16th century CE;

* Lord Vishnu in Bronze from Eastern India belonging to 17-18th century CE;

* Anthropomorphic figure in copper from North India belonging to 2000-1800 BCE;

In recent times, restitution of cultural property has become an important aspect of India-US cultural understanding and exchange. Since 2016, the US Government has facilitated the return of a large number of trafficked or stolen antiquities. 10 antiquities were returned during PM’s visit to USA in June 2016; 157 antiquities during his visit in September 2021 and a further 105 antiquities during his visit in June last year.

The total number of cultural artefacts returned from US to India since 2016 stands at 578. This is the maximum number of cultural artefacts returned by any country to India.

The artifacts were returned in keeping with close bilateral ties and to foster greater cultural understanding, as part of which the US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, had signed a Cultural Property Agreement in July 2024 to fulfil the commitments made by President Biden and Prime Minister Modi to enhance cooperation to protect cultural heritage, as reflected in the Joint Statement issued after their meeting in June 2023, the statement added.