the united states will return nearly 300 artifacts to india, mostly pottery from eastern india
2024-09-26
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reference news reported on september 25 according to a report on cnn website on september 23, the united states will return 297 historic artifacts stolen or smuggled from india, many of which date back centuries.
in july, the united states and india signed an agreement aimed at protecting cultural property by preventing illicit trade and streamlining the process of returning stolen artifacts to india.
the artifacts - most of which are pottery from eastern india - are expected to be returned to india "soon", the indian government said in a statement on the 21st.
prime minister narendra modi noted that these artifacts "are not only a part of india's historical material culture but also constitute the core of indian civilisation and consciousness," the statement said.
the artifacts include statues and vases dating from 2000 b.c. to 1900 a.d. some are made of stone, metal, wood and ivory.
among the artifacts scheduled to be returned to india is a sculpture of an apsara, a celestial performer in hindu and buddhist mythology. made of sandstone, the sculpture was created in central india between the 10th and 11th centuries a.d. the apsara in the sculpture wears a decorative headdress and a tasseled belt, and strikes a pose common in classical indian dance.
another artifact is a fragment of a stone carving that shows a turbaned man, two women and an elephant rider.
despite progress in recent years, india still faces an uphill struggle to protect its valuable cultural treasures from looting.
in 2022, the united states returned 307 stolen artifacts to india as part of a 15-year investigation into an international illegal trafficking network. the artifacts are estimated to be worth more than $4 million, more than three-quarters of which are linked to the notorious new york art dealer subhash kapur, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison by an indian court for smuggling.
since 2016, the united states has returned 578 cultural relics to india. the indian ministry of foreign affairs said that in recent years, the return of cultural relics "has become an important aspect of cultural understanding and exchange between india and the united states." (compiled by zhu jie)
source: cankaoxiaoxi.com
