Reclaiming India’s artifacts: What’s missing and what’s back

India recently recovered the ancient Piprahawa Buddha jewels, after nearly 130 years. While this is a remarkable win for India, it’s not an uncommon occurrence for the country, as it has experienced many significant cultural losses and recoveries.

The country’s rich cultural heritage, combined with its colonial past, has led to the displacement of many historic artifacts, many of which are lost or have been shifted abroad. However, in recent years, the country has ramped up efforts to reclaim its lost items, with some notable successes. Despite the small wins, countless goods still remain missing.

Here’s an overview of some of India’s recovered artifacts, and those that still remain outside the country’s ownership.

1. Annapurna statue

A stone statue of Annapurna, a Hindu goddess, dating back to the 18th century was recovered by India in 2021. The return of the artifact came over 100 years later, and it was placed in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Uttar Pradesh. Prior to this, the statue was under the care of the University of Regina in Canada. The statue was believed to be stolen from Varanasi, India, in the early 1900s.

2. Saint Tirumankai Alvar statue

A 500-year-old bronze statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar was returned to India in 2024. The statue was at the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford. However, university organisers vowed to give back the item after learning the statue was allegedly stolen from a Tamil Nadu temple. Oxford first obtained the artifact from a Sotheby’s auction in the 1960s.

3. Apsara statue

In 2023, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that they will be returning 15 illegally obtained artifacts back to India that were sold by Subhash Kapoor, a known antiquities smuggler. Within this batch of repatriated items, one of the notable pieces recovered was a sandstone statue of ‘Celestial Dancer Apsara’ hailing from Madhya Pradesh, that was valued at more than $1 million.

4. ‘Parrot Lady’ sculpture

A sculpture dubbed the ‘Parrot Lady’ was returned to India in 2015. The sculpture comes from Khajuraho and is made of sandstone, dating back to the 12th century. Previously, the sculpture was part of the Canadian Heritage Department since 2011.

5. Buddha statue

A Buddha statue lost for nearly 60 years was sent back to India in 2018. The statue, which dates back to the 12th century, was discovered at a trade fair in the United Kingdom. It was particularly recovered by a member of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA).

Here are some notable items that remain in foreign countries’ ownership.

1. Koh-i-Noor

Known for being one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, the Koh-i-Noor is a major item that is still under foreign ownership. The diamond was taken by the British and given to Queen Victoria in the 1800s. Although today, many countries in the South Asian region claim the Koh-i-Noor as theirs, the diamond originated in a mine in India, specifically in present-day Andhra Pradesh. Today, the diamond is on display at the jewel house in the Tower of London.

2. Tipu’s tiger

A life-sized automaton device from the 18th century, Tipu’s tiger is another major item that has is yet to be returned to India. The item was owned by Tipu Sultan, ruler of the Mysore kingdom in southern India. Following the war between Mysore and the British, many goods of Tipu Sultan were taken to Britain, including this device. Currently, the item is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

3. Amaravati Marbles

More than 120 marble sculptures and inscriptions were taken by the British in the 1800s from the Amaravati Stupam, a historic buddhist temple, in Andhra Pradesh. These became known as the ‘Amaravati Marbles’ collection and today are housed in the British Museum. However, notably, some parts of the marble collection can also be found in the Chennai Government Museum, but a significant portion still remains abroad.