 "578 antiquities and counting… Inside India’s efforts to bring back its stolen treasures from the US")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been flying India’s flag high while he is in the United States on a three-day visit. One of the biggest highlights from his visit came on Day 1 when it was announced that a whopping 297 antiquities, which had been stolen from India over the years, will be returned.
An official statement from the PMO said, “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.”
PM Modi also took to X to share the news, saying, “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.”
About the returned antiquities
Before we dive into the long and complicated process of tracking and recovering stolen artefacts, let’s take a closer look at the antiquities that Washington has returned to New Delhi during PM Modi’s three-day US visit.
The antiquities belong to a time spanning almost 4,000 years, from 2000 BCE – 1900 CE and have origins in different parts of India. The 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.
The artefacts being returned include an Apsara in sandstone from central India belonging to 10-11 Century CE. There’s also a Jain Tirthankar in bronze belonging to 15-16th Century CE, a terracotta vase from eastern India belonging to 3-4th Century CE, and a stone sculpture from south India belonging to 1st Century BCE-1st century CE.
A Lord Ganesh statue in bronze from south India belonging to the 17-18th Century CE, a standing Lord Buddha in sandstone from north India from the 15-16th Century CE, and Lord Vishnu in bronze from Eastern India belonging to the 17-18th Century CE are the other items that are being returned to India in this tranche.
Return of antiquities
Since PM Modi came to power in 2014, he has been focused on ensuring the return of stolen artefacts from various countries back to India. Interestingly, between 2004 and 2013, only one artefact was returned to India.
However, since he became PM, Narendra Modi has been making efforts to return stolen artefacts to the country.
Data reveals that since 2016, the US government has facilitated the return of a large number of trafficked or stolen antiquities. Ten antiquities were returned during PM Modi’s visit to the US in June 2016. This was followed up by another 248 antiquities worth $15 million in 2021. This tranche of artefacts included a beautiful bronze Nataraja statue from the 12th century CE.
The total number of cultural artefacts returned from the US to India since 2016 stands at 578. This is the maximum number of cultural artefacts returned by any country to India.
Artefacts being sold in India and finding a home in the US has been as old as the tale of time. According to S Vijay Kumar, the co-founder of India Pride Project, a voluntary group that tracks down stolen Indian art, about 30-40 per cent of all looted Indian art land up in the US.
And owing to this, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden signed a Cultural Property Agreement, which restricts illegal art imports and enhances cooperation in stopping these at border points.
Tracking, retrieving stolen Indian artefacts
To bring these stolen artefacts back to India is no easy task and much of the government’s success can be attributed to India Pride Project — an organisation started by shipping executive S Vijay Kumar and public policy expert Anuraag Saxena.
The duo with the help of a small global team of volunteers have been successful in bringing back to India several millions worth of antiquities from countries like the US as well as others such as Australia, Singapore, Germany, and the UK.
Vijay Kumar was quoted as telling India Today, “Almost 95 per cent of India’s success since 2014 has been due to our inputs, and resultant of our work with foreign law enforcement teams, like the American Homeland Security Investigations and the Manhattan District Administration office, along with journalists and art enthusiasts worldwide.”
India Pride Project also played a vital role in the arrest of art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in 2011. Currently in prison, Kapoor was notorious for selling stolen Indian artefacts to the US and other countries.
The India Pride Project has also been instrumental in the restitution of Virudhachalam Ardhananri and Sripuranthan Nataraja from Australia, Sripuranthan Uma from Singapore and Sripuranthan Ganesha from the US, among others.
And the duo behind India Pride Project aren’t the only ones trying to retrieve India’s stolen treasures. Others too have made determined efforts to ensure the homecoming of India’s artefacts.
Besides these individuals, government agencies such as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also work towards finding stolen artefacts and returning them to the country. The ASI approaches missions abroad for the repatriation of artefacts. Once this is done, the ASI then provides evidence of the antiquities being Indian and then diplomatic negotiations are carried out.
Other agencies such as the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing Criminal Investigation Department also work tirelessly towards this effort. In fact, in August 2022, the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing Criminal Investigation Department was responsible for tracking down an idol of Goddess Parvati, which went missing from the Nadanapureshwarar Sivan Temple at Thandanthottam, Kumbakonam, half a century ago to New York’s Bonhams Auction House.
India’s long history of stolen artefacts
India has lost several significant national artefacts, first under British colonial rule and then through illegal smuggling activities. As per reports, thousands of antiquities are stolen from Indian temples each year and then put on a thriving international antiquities market. As per Global Financial Integrity, a Washington-based firm, illegal trade in artefacts is one of the world’s most lucrative enterprises, worth $6 billion a year.
And while the government is now making concentrated efforts to bring these artefacts home, experts note that it isn’t enough.
“For all the noise we make about our culture and heritage, we do precious little to preserve it,” Vijaya Amujure, director of the Architectural Heritage Division, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, New Delhi told The Diplomat. “Preserving cultural wealth in India is just not seen as a priority even though the matter requires urgency.”
Experts note that the common man should be educated about the importance of Indian heritage. Moreover, investigating agencies should take these thefts more seriously. Delhi-based archaeologist Dr Kirit Mankodi is of the opinion that not only should the government departments publicise such thefts but citizens should also be made aware of them. This will serve as a deterrent for the future.
With inputs from agencies
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