During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United States, the US returned 297 stolen antiquities to India, marking a significant step in cultural restitution. This brings the total number of recovered Indian artefacts from the US to 578 since 2016, the highest from any country. PM Modi expressed his gratitude to President Joe Biden and the US government for their efforts in returning these invaluable pieces of India’s heritage, acknowledging the strengthening cultural ties between the two nations.
In a message on X, PM Modi highlighted the importance of combating illicit trafficking of cultural property and thanked the US for its continued cooperation. Some of the returned antiquities were displayed to PM Modi and President Biden during their bilateral meeting in Delaware, symbolizing the deepening of India-US cultural relations. PM Modi emphasized that these artefacts not only reflect India’s material history but also its civilizational consciousness.
The recovered antiquities span 4,000 years, from 2000 BCE to 1900 CE, and come from various regions of India. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), most of the items are terracotta pieces from Eastern India, with others made from stone, metal, wood, and ivory. Cultural restitution has become a key element in India-US relations, with significant artefacts like a 12th-century bronze Nataraja statue returned in 2021 and over 100 more pieces in 2023.
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