The artefacts brought back to India were received by the officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) last week.
On Monday, just before the India-Australian summit started, around 29 antiquities were handed over to India by Australia. This is part of India’s efforts to bring back its cultural heritage from across the globe. The artefacts brought back to India were received by the officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) last week.
What was returned?
Shiva Bhairav, a 9th-10th century CE Rajasthan Sandstone;
The child-saint Sambandar from 12th century CE;
Seated Jina sculpture from Mount Abu region, Rajasthan.
Portrait of Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Yamin Lala Deen Dayal;
Memorial portrait of Hiralal A Gandhi; and untitled ‘Manorath’ portrait of donor and priests before Shri Nathji, Nathdwara.
According to reports, so far 200 stolen Indian antiquities have been brought back to India from across the globe.
These artefacts coming back to India is part of ongoing effort to bring back the stolen heritage of paintings, sculptures, idols from other nations. The process of getting back these antiquities started when the authorities were made aware that these were purchased by Australia and to get them back it took almost a year.
More about the antiquities
They come from different time periods and they date from 9-10 century CE. And these can be classified in six broad categories as per themes: Jain traditions, Lord Vishnu and his forms, Shiva and his disciples, Worshipping Shakti, portraits, decorative objects
Before heading for the virtual summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inspected the antiquities which have been returned by Australia.
These antiquities are mostly paintings and sculptures made of different materials including marble, bronze, sandstone, paper, and brass. These represent different geographical regions in India – Telangana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.