US museum returns stolen Indian temple sculptures after decades

US museum returns stolen Indian temple sculptures after decades

US Museum To Return 3 Ancient Bronze Sculptures To India Stolen From Tamil Nadu

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art has announced that it's returning three stolen bronze sculptures to India. The move came after rigorous provenance research showed that sculptures were removed illegally from Indian temples.

US museum to return 3 bronze sculptures taken illegally from Indian temples

The sculptures include Shiva Nataraja (Chola period, circa 990), Somaskanda (Chola period, 12th century), and Saint Sundarar with Paravai (Vijayanagar period, 16th century). They were originally sacred objects used in temple processions.

Smithsonian to return sculptures to India

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art announced plans to return three historic South Indian bronze sculptures to the Government of India after provenance research confirmed they were illegally removed from temple sites.

National Museum of Asian Art to Return Three Bronze Sculptures to the Government of India Following the Museum’s Extensive Provenance Research

PHOTO: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. @asia.si.edu January 28, 2026 One Sculpture Is to Remain on Long-Term Loan, Enabling the Museum to Share Its History with the Public The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art announced today its plans to return three sculptures to the Government of India, following rigorous provenance research that documented that the sculptures had been removed illegally from temple settings. T…

US museum to return three bronze sculptures illegally taken from Tamil Nadu temples

The sculptures include a 10th-century Chola-period Shiva Nataraja, a 12th-century Chola-period Somaskanda, and a 16th-century Vijayanagar-period sculpture of Saint Sundarar with Paravai.