On the occasion of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States, the US side facilitated the return of 297 antiquities that had been stolen or trafficked from India. These will shortly be repatriated to India.
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| US returns 297 Antiquities to India |
United States returns 297 antiquities to India
The US has announced the return of 297 antiques stolen and smuggled from India. These will be returned to India soon. The United States has returned 297 antiquities to India. This decision has been taken at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to America to attend the Quad Summit 2024.
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In a symbolic handing over, a select few pieces were showcased to Prime Minister Modi and President Joe Biden on the sidelines of their bilateral meeting in Wilmington, Delaware.
America returns 297 Antiquities to India
The America returned 297 antiquities to India belong to a time period spanning almost 4000 years, from 2000 BCE – 1900 CE and have origins in different parts of India. Majority of the antiquities are terracotta artefacts from Eastern India, while others are made in stone, metal, wood and ivory and belong to different parts of the country.
Some of the notable antiquities handed over are:
- Apsara in sandstone from Central India belonging to 10-11th century CE.
- Jain Tirthankar in bronze from Central India belonging to 15-16th century CE.
- Terracotta vase from Eastern India belonging to 3-4th century CE.
- Stone Sculpture from South India belonging to 1st century BCE-1st century CE.
- Lord Ganesh in Bronze from South India belonging to 17-18th century CE.
- Standing Lord Buddha in sandstone from North India belonging 15-16th century CE;
- Lord Vishnu in Bronze from Eastern India belonging to 17-18th century CE.
- Anthropomorphic figure in copper from North India belonging to 2000-1800 BCE;
- Lord Krishna in bronze from South India belonging to 17-18th century CE.
- Lord Karthikeya in granite from South India belonging to 13-14th century CE.
United States returns 297 antiquities to India: Background
U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India under Ministry of Culture, Government of India had signed a Cultural Property Agreement in July 2024 to enhance cooperation to protect cultural heritage.
Read Also: US hands over 157 artefacts & antiquities to India
Since 2016, the US Government has facilitated the return of a large number of trafficked or stolen antiquities. 10 antiquities were returned during PM Modi’s visit to USA in June 2016; 157 antiquities during his visit in September 2021 and a further 105 antiquities during his visit in June last year. The total number of cultural artefacts returned from US to India since 2016 stands at 578. This is the maximum number of cultural artefacts returned by any country to India.
Static Current Affairs related to the United States for upcoming exams
- Capital City: Washington, D.C.
- Largest City: New York City
- National Language: English
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- President: Joe Biden
- Vice President: Kamala Harris
- House Speaker: Mike Johnson
- Chief Justice: John Roberts
- Total Population 2022 estimate: Neutral increase 333,287,557
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