India Reclaims Sacred Antiquities from US, Says Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

New Delhi, May 13, 2026: Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday hailed the return of three sacred antiquities from the United States as a major milestone in India’s efforts to reclaim its stolen cultural heritage and preserve its civilisational legacy.

Addressing a press conference at the National Museum, the minister said the repatriation reflects the Government of India’s strong commitment towards restoring the nation’s historical and spiritual treasures under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The antiquities were returned from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in the United States and include a Chola-period Shiva Nataraja dating back to around 990 CE, a 12th-century Somaskanda depicting Shiva and Uma, and a 16th-century Vijayanagara-period bronze sculpture of Saint Sundarar with Paravai.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the sacred bronzes originally belonged to temples in Tamil Nadu and were illicitly removed from India during the mid-20th century before eventually being housed abroad.

Speaking at the event, Shekhawat said antiquities are not merely artistic artefacts but represent India’s spiritual traditions, historical continuity and civilisational memory. He added that illegal trafficking of antiquities had deprived the country of several invaluable cultural treasures over the decades.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) traced the artefacts to their original temple sites through extensive provenance research using archival records, historical temple photographs and field documentation from the 1950s and 1960s. The findings formed the basis for coordinated negotiations involving the Ministry of Culture, the Smithsonian Institution and the Embassy of India in the United States.

Officials said the Shiva Nataraja originally belonged to the Sri Bhava Aushadesvara Temple in Thanjavur district and was photographed there in 1957. The Saint Sundarar with Paravai bronze was identified from photographs taken in 1956 at a Shiva temple in Veerasolapuram village, while the Somaskanda sculpture was traced to the Visvanatha Temple in Alattur village through photographs from 1959.

The Somaskanda and Saint Sundarar with Paravai bronzes arrived in New Delhi on May 12, 2026, while the Shiva Nataraja will return after being displayed in the international exhibition The Art of Knowing in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas.

As part of a goodwill arrangement, the Government of India has agreed to a three-year loan arrangement for the Shiva Nataraja sculpture between 2025 and 2028, allowing global audiences to understand the artefact’s historical journey from origin to repatriation.

The minister also informed that India has successfully repatriated 666 antiquities from different countries, including 653 since 2014, through diplomatic, legal and institutional efforts led by the Ministry of Culture, ASI, Indian missions abroad and enforcement agencies.

He further revealed that 657 additional art objects of Indian origin were recently handed over by US law enforcement agencies to the Indian Embassy in the United States, with arrangements currently underway for their transport and verification by ASI experts.

The event was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Culture, National Museum, Archaeological Survey of India and members of the media.

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