PM Modi to bring home 157 antiques from US

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 25

In a boost to the process of retrieval of squandered Indian heritage, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to bring home 157 artefacts and antiquities from the US.

Guru’s sword among items

• The artefacts include an 18th century sword and sheath with inscription mentioning Guru Hargobind Singh in Persian
• Most items belonged to the period of 11th CE to 14th CE
• Half of the artefacts are cultural, the other half consists of figurines relating to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism

During their meeting, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden committed to strengthen efforts to combat the theft, illicit trade and trafficking of cultural objects.

The list of 157 artefacts includes a diverse set of items ranging from a one-and-a-half metre bas relief panel of Revanta in sandstone dating back to the 10th Common Era to a 8.5-cm tall, exquisite bronze Nataraja from the 12th CE.

Sources said the items largely belonged to the period of 11th CE to 14th CE and the collection featured historic antiquities such as the copper anthropomorphic object of 2000 BC and the terracotta vase from the 2nd CE.

Some 45 antiquities belonged to Before Common Era, a government statement said. While half of the artefacts (71) are cultural, the other half consists of figurines which relate to Hinduism (60), Buddhism (16) and Jainism (9). Their make spreads across metal, stone and terracotta.

The bronze collection primarily contains ornate figurines of the well-known postures of Lakshmi Narayana, Buddha, Vishnu, Siva Parvathi and the 24 Jain Tirthankaras and the less common Kankalamurti, Brahmi and Nandikesa, besides other unnamed deities and divine figures.

There are 56 terracotta pieces, including an 18th CE sword with sheath with inscription mentioning Guru Hargobind Singh in Persian, the government said.

Between 2004 and 2014, one ancient antiquity returned to India. From 2014 to 2021, over 200 antiquities have either returned or are in the process of being returned.