US to Return Nearly 300 Stolen, Illegally Trafficked Antiquities Back to India
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States will return to India nearly 300 art pieces stolen or illegally taken out of the country, the Indian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
"On the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to the United States, the US side facilitated the return of 297 antiquities that had been stolen or trafficked from India. These will shortly be repatriated to India," the ministry said in a statement.
The objects in question belong to the period from 2000 BC to 1900 AD and come from different parts of India, the ministry said.
"Majority of the antiquities are terracotta artefacts from Eastern India, while others are made in stone, metal, wood and ivory," the ministry said.
Among the returned antiquities there is a stone sculpture from South India belonging to 1st century BC-1st century AD, a standing Lord Buddha in sandstone from North India belonging to 15-16th century AD, an anthropomorphic figure in copper from North India belonging to 2000-1800 BC, and others, the ministerial statement read.
"In recent times, restitution of cultural property has become an important aspect of India-US cultural understanding and exchange. Since 2016, the US Government has facilitated the return of a large number of trafficked or stolen antiquities," the Indian foreign department said.
In total, the US has returned 578 cultural artifacts to India since 2016, which is the largest number of antiquities ever returned by any country to India, the ministry added.
