In 7 years, Modi govt brought back 198 ancient artefacts from abroad
The Narendra Modi government has managed to bring back 198 antique artefacts from foreign countries over the last seven years, which is a significant part of the total 211 artefacts recovered since 1976, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Culture.
This includes 157 artefacts handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the USA during his recent visit to the country. Apart from that, 41 other artefacts have been brought to India since 2014.
They largely belong to the 11th CE to 14th CE period as well as historic antiquities such as the copper anthropomorphic object of 2000 BC or the terracotta vase from the 2nd CE. While half of the artefacts (71) are cultural, the other half consists of figurines which relate to Hinduism (60), Buddhism (16) and Jainism (9). Their make spreads across metal, stone and terracotta.
US holds major share
India has recovered over 200 artefacts from countries across the globe, according to the official data. Over half of the retrieved artefacts have come from the USA alone, with over 150 recovered from them. The Prime Minister conveyed his deep appreciation for the repatriation of the ancient objects to India by the United States.
The remaining bunch of artefacts has come from countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, etc.
More in the pipeline
The government of India is in talks with nine other countries to get back 113 artefacts, as per the statement by the Ministry of Culture. Again, the USA tops this list, being in possession of 71 artefacts, followed by Australia (19) and Singapore (17), the data shows. Other countries India is dealing with for the retrieval are Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Of the eight retrievals in 2020, three came from Australia and five from the UK. The prominent ones from the list are the Dwarpala stone sculptures retrieved from Australia. Its origin was Tamil Nadu. Another interesting sculpture includes Nataraja (stone) from the UK which belonged to Rajasthan. Metal idols of Ram, Laxmana, and Sita retrieved from the UK have their origin in Tamil Nadu.
