Australia returns 29 antiquities to India

New Delhi, March 21

In a significant move, 29 antiquities have been repatriated to India by the Australian Government.

The antiquities range in six broad categories. These are Shiva and his disciples, worshipping Shakti, Lord Vishnu and his forms, Jain tradition and portraits and decorative objects.

The articles which come from different time period dating back to 9-10 century CE, are primarily sculptures and paintings executed in variety of material such as sandstone, marble, bronze, brass and paper.

The antiquities are from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.

This follows the recovery of a 500-year-old statue of Lord Hanuman which was handed over to Indian High Commissioner in Canberra Manpreet Vohra by the US Chargé d’Affaires in Australia, Michael Goldman.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison for returning them, the government said on Monday.

The Archeological Survey of India said since 2014, 228 antiquities have been returned to India.