New Delhi: As a follow-up to the historic State Visit of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, to the United States in June 2023, a repatriation ceremony for 105 trafficked antiquities handed over by the US side was held at the Indian Consulate in New York today. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of India to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu, thanked the US side, in particular Manhattan District Attorney, Mr. Alvin Bragg and his Anti-Trafficking Unit and the Homeland Security Investigation team for their stellar cooperation and support. He further noted that for the people of India, these were not just pieces of art but part of their living heritage and culture.
The antiquities will soon be transported to India. The repatriation ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Homeland Security Investigation team. During the State Visit, India and the US have agreed to work for a Cultural Property Agreement that would help prevent illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts. Such an understanding will add further value to the dynamic bilateral collaboration between Homeland Security and law enforcement agencies of the two countries.
The 105 artifacts represent a wide geographical spread in terms of their origin in India – with 47 from Eastern India, 27 from Southern India, 22 from Central India, 6 from Northern India, 3 from Western India. Spanning a period from 2nd-3rdcentury CE to 18th-19th century CE, the artifacts are made of terracotta, stone, metal and wood. Around 50 artifacts relate to religious subjects [Hinduism, Jainism and Islam] and the rest are of cultural significance.
The Government of India has been making concerted efforts to bring back stolen Indian antiquities, the living symbols of rich Indian heritage and culture, from abroad. In recent years, there has been close cooperation on restitution of antiquities between India and the US. During PM’s 2016 visit to the US, 16 antiques were handed over by the US side. Similarly, in 2021, the Government of the United States handed over 157 artifacts which returned to India following the visit of PM to the US in September 2021. With these 105 antiquities, the US side has handed over a total of 278 cultural artifacts to India since 2016.
