US EditionIndia Is Retrieving Its Stolen Artefacts and Relics. Here's How
Three stolen cast-bronze Hindu sculptures from Tamil Nadu temples are being repatriated by the Smithsonian, with over 10 bronzes returned in the last five years, India Pride Project said.
- The National Museum of Asian Art announced on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, it will return three bronzes to the Government of India; Shiva Nataraja will remain on long-term loan, while Somaskanda and Saint Sundarar with Paravai go to the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC.
- Amid years of provenance work, the NMAA provenance research team used archival photographs from the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry showing bronzes in Tamil Nadu temple sites in the 1950s to confirm illegal removal.
- Records show Somaskanda and Saint Sundarar with Paravai were part of 1,000 objects Arthur M. Sackler gifted in 1987, while the Shiva Nataraja came from Doris Wiener Gallery with provenance papers showing red flags.
- Formal handover arrangements are being finalised by the museum and the embassy to give Somaskanda and Saint Sundarar with Paravai to the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, while Tamil Nadu Idol Wing- CID notes court supervision and contested ownership of Shiva Nataraja.
- Seen as a watershed, the return marks a milestone validating the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty recovery strategy, while India Pride Project helped repatriate over 10 bronzes and prompted a $2.2 million National Gallery of Australia return.
27 Articles
27 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)Smithsonian museum to return three bronze sculptures illegally removed from India
Internal investigation found the statues had been removed from temples in southern India
US museum to return 3 stolen ancient bronze sculptures to India, but keeps a Shiva on loan
The sculptures are ‘Shiva Nataraja’ belonging to the Chola period, circa 990; ‘Somaskanda’ of the Chola period, 12th century; and ‘Saint Sundarar with Paravai' of the Vijayanagar period, 16th century.
US museum to return three ancient bronze sculptures to India illegally taken from country's temples
In a significant development for India's cultural heritage, the United States will return three ancient bronze sculptures that were illegally taken from temples in Tamil Nadu. The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC announced that the artefacts would be handed back to the government of India following rigorous provenance research that confirmed their unlawful removal from sacred temple settings. The museum stated that Ind…
India is retrieving its stolen artefacts and relics. Here's how
After retrieving the sacred Piprahwa relics last year, the Indian government has now secured the return of three cast-bronze sculptures from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Asian Art (NMAA)
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