Lok Sabha Question No. 26 (STARRED), answered on 2019-06-24
Subject: Repatriation of Artefacts
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: M. K. Raghavan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *26 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.06.2019.

## Repatriation of  Artefacts

## *26.     SHRI M. K. RAGHAVAN:

## Will the Minister of CULTURE

be pleased to state:

- (a) Whether  the  Government  has  identified  artefacts/  jewels  that  are  still  held  in museums of foreign countries;
- (b) If so, the details thereof; country-wise; and
- (c) the steps taken to get back these treasures?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE & TOURISM

## (Prahlad Singh Patel)

- (a) to (c) A Statement is laid on the table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (c) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 26 FOR 24.06.2019

- (a) No Sir. Data on artefacts / jewels that are still held in museums of foreign countries is not available with the ASI.
- (b) Question does not arise.
- (c) The  Archaeological  Survey  of  India  is  constantly  making  its  best efforts  through  Indian  missions  abroad  for  retrieval  of  illegally exported  antiquities.  The  details  of  the  antiquities  retrieved  from foreign countries for last five years and cases under process are at Annexure-1.

STATEMENT REFFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 26 FOR 24.06.2019

## Retrieved Indian Antiquities from Abroad for last five years

|   S.No. | Name of Antiquity                            | State                         | From      |   Year | Mode of retrieval    | Under the custody                         |
|---------|----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------|--------|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Metal Image of Nataraja                      | Tamil Nadu                    | Australia |   2014 | Voluntarily returned | Idol Wing, TN                             |
|       2 | Stone Sculpture Ardhanarishwar               | Tamil Nadu                    | Australia |   2014 | Voluntarily returned | Idol Wing, TN                             |
|       3 | Stone Sculpture Parrot Lady                  | Madhya Pradesh                | Canada    |   2015 | Voluntarily returned | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi        |
|       4 | Stone Sculpture Durga (Mahishmardini)        | J&K                           | Germany   |   2015 | Voluntarily returned | SPS Museum Sri Nagar, J&K                 |
|       5 | Bronze image of Uma Parameshwari             | Tamil Nadu                    | Singapore |   2015 | Voluntarily returned | Under the custody of Idol Wing Tamil Nadu |
|       6 | Bronze image of Saint Manikkavachaka         | Tamil Nadu                    | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | Under the custody of Idol Wing Tamil Nadu |
|       7 | Metal image of Ganesha                       | Tamil Nadu                    | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | Under the custody of Idol Wing Tamil Nadu |
|       8 | Terracotta Female Figure (Honolulu Museum)   | Mauryan period Central India  | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi        |
|       9 | Stone Sculpture Male Deity (Honolulu Museum) | Madhya Pradesh                | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi        |
|      10 | Terracotta Floral Tile, Harvan               | Kashmir                       | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi        |
|      11 | Metal image of Sri Devi, Chola Period        | Tamil Nadu                    | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N.              |
|      12 | Metal image of Bahubali                      | Andhra Pradesh                | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | PMO                                       |
|      13 | Metal image of Parvati                       | Tamil Nadu                    | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi        |
|      14 | Terracotta Plaque                            | West Bengal                   | USA       |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi        |
|      15 | Metal image of Bhoodevi                      | Tamil Nadu                    | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | Idol Wing Tamil Nadu                      |
|      16 | Metal image of Chakkarathalwar               | Tamil Nadu                    | U.S.A     |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | Idol Wing Tamil Nadu                      |
|      17 | Stone Sculpture Seated Buddha                | Mathura region, Uttar Pradesh | Australia |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | National Muséum New Delhi                 |
|      18 | Stone Sculpture Panel of Devotees of Buddha  | Andhra Pradesh                | Australia |   2016 | Voluntarily returned | National Museum New Delhi                 |

|   19. | Stone image Pratyangira                                                             | Tamil Nadu     | Australia      |   2016 | Voluntarily returned   | Under the custody of Idol Wing Tamil Nadu   |
|-------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|----------------|--------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
|    20 | Sand Stone Male Figure in Tribhanga Posture                                         | Central India  | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    21 | Sand Stone Bust of a Female                                                         | Central India  | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    22 | Sand Stone broken Figure                                                            | Central India  | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    23 | Stone image of Durga                                                                | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    24 | Damaged Sand Stone image of Nataraja in dancing posture.                            | Central India  | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    25 | Mutilated Sand Stone Panel depicting two male Figures (vidhyadharas).               | Central India  | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    26 | Stone image of a couple (mithuna) figure carved under a niche from Atru, Rajasthan. | Rajasthan      | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    27 | Stone image of a couple (mithuna) Figure from Atru, Rajasthan.                      | Rajasthan      | U.S.A.         |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    28 | Stone sculpture of Brahma and Brahamani                                             | Gujarat        | U.K.           |   2017 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    29 | Stone Sculpture Durga Mahishasurmardini                                             | Uttarakhand    | USA MET Museum |   2018 | Voluntarily returned   | CAC Section, Purana Qila, N. Delhi          |
|    30 | Stucco Bodhisattva Head                                                             | Andhra Pradesh | USA MET Museum |   2018 | Voluntarily returned   | Nagarjunakonda Museum, Andhra Pradesh       |
|    31 | Bronze Image of Buddha                                                              | Bihar          | U.K.           |   2018 | Voluntarily returned   | DRI                                         |

## Cases of Retrieval of artifacts under process

|   Serial No. | Name of Artifact                                 | State of probable origin   | Repatriation from    |
|--------------|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------|
|            1 | Stone sculpture of Varaha                        | Rajasthan                  | Switzerland          |
|            2 | Rattle in the form of a lady playing the drum    | West Bengal                | Australia            |
|            3 | Figure of a lady playing drum                    | West Bengal                | Australia            |
|            4 | Stone image of Varaha rescuing the earth Goddess | West Bengal                | Australia            |
|            5 | Bhudevi                                          | West Bengal                | Australia            |
|            6 | Terracotta winged deity                          | West Bengal                | Australia            |
|            7 | Pair of door Guardian.(2 nos sculpture           | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|            8 | The Dancing Child Saint Sambandar                | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|            9 | The sacred Bull Nandi                            | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           10 | Trident with auspicious Kali                     | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           11 | Siva Nataraja                                    | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           12 | Sambanthar idol                                  | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           13 | Child Sambanthar idol                            | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           14 | Nandi idol                                       | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           15 | Six Headed Skanda idol                           | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           16 | Two nos. of Dwarpala                             | Tamil Nadu                 | Australia            |
|           17 | limestone pillar depicting the Dharmachakra      | Andhra Pradesh             | United Arab Emirates |
|           18 | Part of stone pillar                             | Andhra Pradesh             | Belgium              |
|           19 | Stone image of seated Buddha                     | Madhya Pradesh             | United Kingdom       |
|           20 | Stone Sculpture of Krishna                       | Tripura                    | Bangladesh           |
|           21 | Somaskanda                                       | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           22 | Sambandar                                        | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           23 | Ramanuja                                         | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           24 | Standing, Ganesha                                | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           25 | Hanuman - Garuda                                 | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           26 | Hanuman                                          | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           27 | Garuda Mount                                     | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           28 | Standing Budhha                                  | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           29 | Gold Breast plate for a male deity               | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           30 | Gold Breast plate for a female deity             | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           31 | Four armed Vishnu                                | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           32 | Subrahmanya                                      | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           33 | Nandi                                            | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           34 | Bhikshatana Shiva                                | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           35 | Aiyanar                                          | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           36 | Peacock vehicle                                  | Tamil Nadu                 | Singapore            |
|           37 | Nataraja idol Dharma                             | Tamil Nadu                 | USA                  |
|           38 | Buddha in                                        | Bihar                      | USA                  |

|   39. | Stone image of Tara   | Bihar     | USA   |
|-------|-----------------------|-----------|-------|
|    40 | Stone image of Apsara | Rajasthan | USA   |

Note - 374 objects have been examined by a two member team from ASI through Consulate General of India, New York. 79 objects found ANTIQUITIES. Repatriation of 79 antiquities from USA.