The United States (US) has made an offer to repatriate a new batch of 1,414 items, following the return of 105 smuggled antiquities to India three months ago. Official sources have confirmed that these objects have already been transferred to the Consulate General of India in New York.
To assess the authenticity and categorization of these items, a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which oversees Indian antiquities, will be dispatched to the US. The verification process is necessary to distinguish between “antiquities” and “non-antiquities” and initiate the repatriation procedure.
At this stage, the ASI has not received specific details regarding the age or origin of the 1,414 objects. However, US authorities have indicated that these items, collected from various sources, appear to have Indian origins. Notably, this collection includes various antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York.
The upcoming collection of 1,414 items is expected to encompass both antiquities and non-antiquities. These items will undergo categorization and evaluation based on their classification as antiquities, which aligns with the criteria defined by the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972.
This Act defines antiquities as various items, including coins, sculptures, paintings, epigraphs, or other works of art and craftsmanship. It also encompasses objects detached from buildings or caves, along with items shedding light on the realms of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals, or politics from bygone eras. Additionally, an antiquity must be at least 100 years old.
Non-antiquities refer to decorative objects, idols, or replicas of original artworks primarily used for ornamental purposes.
Over the past four years, India has successfully secured the repatriation of approximately 400 smuggled or stolen antiquities from the US. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed this issue during his state visit to the US in July, expressing his satisfaction with the American government’s decision to return more than 100 stolen antiquities to India.
India is actively engaged in combating the smuggling of antiquities through a cultural property agreement with the US. Furthermore, India is in discussions and negotiations with multiple countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to recover unlawfully taken antiquities.
Officials have reported that a recent trip to Singapore by a team from the ASI uncovered 16 stolen metal sculptures from various temples in Tamil Nadu. These thefts had previously been reported to the Tamil Nadu Police’s idol wing. The ASI team collaborated with officers from the TN Police idol wing to verify and confirm the stolen sculptures during their visit.
