The United States officially returned hundreds of cultural artifacts that were smuggled out of India at a symbolic handover ceremony during a visit from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Joe Biden in Delaware.
The 297 relics, dated between 2000 B.C.E. and 1900 C.E., included mostly terracotta works from eastern India, as well as sculptures and vases made from stone, copper and more.
“These objects are not just part of India’s historical material culture, but formed the inner core of its civilisation and consciousness,” Modi said in a statement, thanking Biden for his support.
Some of the pieces being repatriated were identified in ICIJ’s Hidden Treasures project, which exposed the prevalence of looted and smuggled artifacts in renowned institutions like the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. A joint investigation by ICIJ and The Indian Express revealed a treasure trove of relics in the Met’s collection that could be traced to antiquities trafficker Subhash Kapoor. In 2022, the U.S. returned 307 stolen artifacts to India — more than three-quarters of which were linked to Kapoor, who is now serving a 10-year jail sentence in India for his involvement in smuggling.
In July, the U.S. and India signed a cultural property agreement, a commitment to preventing the illegal trade of antiquities and simplifying the process for their return.
“First and foremost, it’s about justice — returning to India and to Indians, what is rightfully theirs,” American ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, said in a statement about the agreement. “Secondly, it’s about connecting India with the world. Every American and every global citizen deserves to know, see, and experience the culture that we celebrate here today.”
In total, the U.S. has now returned 578 cultural artifacts to India — the highest number of items returned to India from any one country.
