Lok Sabha Question No. 1074 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-26
Subject: Record of Illegaly Exported Artefacts
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Brijendra Singh

- (a) No Sir.
- (b) Question does not arise.

(c)&(d)  Yes  Sir.  The  Archaeological  Survey  of  India  (ASI)  is  constantly  making  best efforts through Indian missions abroad for retrieval of illegally exported antiquities. The details of the antiquities retrieved from foreign countries from the year 2014 till today is annexed at Annexure-I .

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1074

ANSWERED ON 26.07.2021

## RECORD OF ILLEGALY EXPORTED ARTEFACTS

1074 . SHRI BRIJENDRA SINGH:

Will the Minister of Culture be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  maintained  a  record  of  artefacts  of  historical significance taken abroad illegally prior to independence;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  is  taking  steps  to  assert  illegally  exported  artefacts  as India's cultural property to encourage their voluntary return; and
- (d) if so, the details of artefacts successfully returned through said means?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR CULTURE, TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION

(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

## ANNEXURE PEFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) & (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1074 FOR 26.07.2021

## THE DETAILS OF ARTEFACTS SUCCESSFULLY RETURNED TO INDIA (FROM  2014 TILL DATE)

|   SL. NO. | DESCRIPTION OFOBJECT                                    | PROVENANCE     | COUNTRY FROM WHICHRETRIEVED   |   DATE/ YEAR OF RETRIEVAL |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------|----------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------|
|         1 | Nataraja                                                | Tamil Nadu     | Australia                     |                      2014 |
|         2 | Ardhanareeswar                                          | Tamil Nadu     | Australia                     |                      2014 |
|         3 | Parrot Lady                                             | Madhya Pradesh | Canada                        |                      2015 |
|         4 | Durga (Mahishmardini)                                   | J&K            | Germany                       |                      2015 |
|         5 | Uma Parameshwari                                        | Tamil Nadu     | Singapore                     |                      2015 |
|         6 | Bronze image of Saint Manikkavachaka                    | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|         7 | Metal image of Ganesha                                  | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|         8 | Terracotta Female Figure (Honolulu Museum)              | Central India  | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|         9 | Male Deity (Honolulu Museum)                            | Madhya Pradesh | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|        10 | Floral Tile, Harvan                                     | Kashmir        | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|        11 | Sri Devi, Chola Period                                  | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|        12 | Metal image of Bahubali                                 | Andhra Pradesh | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|        13 | Metal image of Parvati                                  | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|        14 | Terracotta Plaque                                       | West Bengal    | USA                           |                      2016 |
|        15 | Metal image of Bhoodevi                                 | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|        16 | Metal image of Chakkarathalwar                          | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A                         |                      2016 |
|        17 | Seated Buddha                                           | Uttar Pradesh  | Australia                     |                      2016 |
|        18 | Panel of Devotees of Buddha                             | Andhra Pradesh | Australia                     |                      2016 |
|        19 | Stone image Pratyangira                                 | Tamil Nadu     | Australia                     |                      2016 |
|        20 | Sand Stone Male Figure in Tribhanga Posture             | Central India  | U.S.A.                        |                      2017 |
|        21 | Sand Stone Bust of a female                             | Central India  | U.S.A.                        |                      2017 |
|        22 | Sand Stone broken figure                                | Central India  | U.S.A.                        |                      2017 |
|        23 | Stone image of Durga                                    | Tamil Nadu     | U.S.A.                        |                      2017 |
|        24 | Damaged Sand Stoneimage of Nataraja in dancing posture. | Central India  | U.S.A.                        |                      2017 |

|   25 | Mutilated Sand Stone Panel depicting two maleFigures ( vidhyadharas ).    | Central India   | U.S.A.         |   2017 |
|------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|----------------|--------|
|   26 | Stone image of a couple ( mithuna ) figure carvedunder a niche from Atru. | Rajasthan       | U.S.A.         |   2017 |
|   27 | Stone image of a couple ( mithuna ) Figure from Atru.                     | Rajasthan       | U.S.A.         |   2017 |
|   28 | Stone sculpture of Brahmaand Brahamani                                    | Gujarat         | U.K.           |   2017 |
|   29 | Durga Mahishasurmardini                                                   | Uttarakhand     | USA MET Museum |   2018 |
|   30 | Bodhisattva Head                                                          | Andhra Pradesh  | USA MET Museum |   2018 |
|   31 | Image of Buddha                                                           | Bihar           | UK             |   2019 |
|   32 | Idol of Bronze Nataraja                                                   | Tamil Nadu      | Australia      |   2019 |
|   33 | Nagaraja (The serpent King) Stone sculpture                               | Central India.  | Australia      |   2020 |
|   34 | (a) Dwarpala, stone sculpture                                             | Tamil Nadu      | Australia      |   2020 |
|   35 | (b) Dwarpala, stone sculpture                                             | Tamil Nadu      | Australia      |   2020 |
|   36 | Lime stone relief                                                         | Andhra Pradesh  | U.K.           |   2020 |
|   37 | Stone sculpture of Shiva (Nataraja)                                       | Rajasthan       | U.K.           |   2020 |
|   38 | Metal idol of Rama                                                        | Tamil Nadu      | UK             |   2020 |
|   39 | Metal idol of Laxamana                                                    | Tamil Nadu      | UK             |   2020 |
|   40 | Metal idol of Sita                                                        | Tamil Nadu      | UK             |   2020 |
|   41 | Navaneetha Krishna                                                        | South India     | UK             |   2021 |