Thiloththama Jayasinghe, Jadetimes Staff
T. Jayasinghe is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Political News
It includes the return of 297 antiquities, spanning Indian history from the early first millennium BCE to the 18th century, that were stolen or illicitly trafficked from India. This historic repatriation comes after a joint statement by both the U.S. and India in July 2023 for further action to protect cultural property from illegal trading. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the relics' handover with a photograph, underlining the importance of cultural heritage preservation.
These are part of the antiquities, largely terracotta pieces, sourced from eastern India, and their repatriation to India is expected soon. This happened at a time when Modi visited Biden's hometown in Wilmington, Delaware, during a Quad summit to cement ties between the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia.
India's Ministry of External Affairs stipulated that these relics represented something more than artifacts of any historic era; they formed part of India's civilizational consciousness. The pieces include sculptures, vases, and other artifacts that date from 2000 BCE to 1900 CE, made of stone, metal, wood, and ivory. The most important item is a sandstone sculpture of Apsara-a celestial performer in Hindu and Buddhist mythology-which dates back to the 10th to 11th centuries CE.
India has struggled for decades to stem the looting of its cultural treasures, but recovery picked up in recent times. The U.S. returned 307 treasures last year that were part of a 15-year investigation into international trafficking networks. Most of the artifacts were associated with Subhash Kapoor, a New York-based dealer in art, who was convicted of smuggling. Since 2016, a total of 578 artifacts have been returned to India from the United States, part of the tangible feature in the cultural exchange and collaboration between the two countries.
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