India to receive 1st century BC plaque as part of 105 antiquities to be sent by US
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his state visit to the United States, announced that more than 100 stolen antiquities will be returned to India.
Total Views |
A TERRACOTA Yakshi plaque from 1st century BC which was stolen from “eastern India”; a 9th century red sandstone Dancing Ganesha from central India; a 10th century Kubera, also from central India — these are among the 105 antiquities that are set to be returned by the United States to India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his state visit to the United States, announced that more than 100 stolen antiquities will be returned to India.
“I am happy that the American government has decided to return more than 100 Indian antiquities that had been stolen from us. These antiquities may have gotten to the international market in different ways — some legal, some illegal. I express my gratitude to the American government for returning these items,” the prime minister had said.
It is suspected that most of these antiquities were smuggled abroad by antique dealer Subhash Kapoor, who is now imprisoned.
As per the report of Indian Express, the last month that 16 of these antiquities had been returned to India. Some of the 105 antiquities that are set to be returned to India have already been verified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is the custodian of all repatriated artefacts.
“We are regularly processing the retrieval of our antiquities that are traced abroad. Approximately 105 such pieces are in the process of returning from the US,” said an ASI spokesperson.
The antiquities, in different mediums such as marble, terracotta and sandstone, span a period of 1,600 years, from the 1st century BC to the 15th century AD, and hold significant historical and market value, said official sources, adding that their exact worth could not be ascertained.
These include a 12th-13th century miniature Jain shrine made of marble from Gujarat/ Maharashtra; an 11th century sculpture of Vishnu and Lakshmi made of sandstone; two 14th century sandstone Apsara figures from central India; and an 11th century standing Surya sculpture.
..