New York, PTI. Antiques are being sent back to India by American officials, just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from his state visit to the US.
The number of antiquities is 105 and ranges from the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD to the 18th and 19th centuries AD.
The US on Monday handed over some valuable Indian antiquities at a ceremony at the Indian Consulate General in New York in the presence of Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Consul General Randhir Jaiswal and officials from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Sandhu said when the lost heritage returns home, it will be greeted with emotions. The antiques will soon be brought to India. Of these 105 artifacts, 47 are from East India, 27 from South India, 22 from Central India, 6 from North India and 3 from West India.
The artifacts date from the 2nd-3rd centuries. Century AD to the 18th-19th centuries Century AD and are made of terracotta, stone, metal and wood. Of these, around 50 artifacts relate to religious themes (Hinduism, Jainism and Islam), while the rest are of cultural significance.
During his state visit to America last month, Prime Minister Modi had thanked President Joe Biden for his help in returning cultural property.
Repatriation ceremony to return the inheritance
Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic state visit to the United States in June, a repatriation ceremony for 105 smuggled antiquities handed over by the US was held today at the Indian Consulate in New York.
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In this regard, India’s US Ambassador to New York, Eric Garcetti, said that as an embassy in the US government, we are working to bring back India’s essential arts. These antiques often come from India. These are stolen and sold illegally.
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The prosecutor’s office and the Metropolitan Museum are trying to identify such works of art and send them to India. This is a cultural agreement announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden during their visit to the state.
