In a historic first, UK repatriates seven stolen artefacts to India; know all about them

New Delhi: In what can be termed as the first repatriation from UK to India, seven stolen artefacts are to be returned to India from Glasgow. The Indian High Commission delegates sealed the move by inking an agreement at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

The artefacts being returned to India

The seven items being returned include three carved stone pillar fragments from a 10th century temple in Kanpur; a sandstone carving of the Hindu Goddess Uma or Durga; an 11th century carved stone door jamb taken from a Hindu temple in Kanpur and a ceremonial Indo-Persian tulwar or sword which is believed to date back to the 14th century.

History and origin of the artefacts

Six of the seven items, including the 11 Century stone door jams and 14th century carvings were stolen from shrines and temples in the 19th century. The seventh object, the tulwar and its scabbard was stolen in 1905 from the collection of the Nizam of Hyderabad by his prime minister and sold off to the British general Sir Archibald Hunter. Subsequently all the artefacts were gifted to the Glasgow museum.

As per a report in BBC, Glasgow Museums said, that the artefacts, some of which are about 1000 years old are believed to be from Kolkata, Kanpur, Bihar, Gwalior and Hyderabad.

Pic credit: AFP

What the Indian high commissioner said?

As per BBC, Sujit Ghosh, the acting Indian high commissioner welcomed the move, stating, "These artefacts are an integral part of our civilizational heritage and will now be sent back home. We express our appreciation to all the stakeholders who made this possible, especially Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council."

Glasgow Museums reaction

Duncan Dornan, head of Glasgow Museums said that the process of repatriation of objects has been going on for a long time in Glasgow. "These processes take a long time: establishing a relationship, establishing trust, establishing the background of the objects and being confident the objects in question were taken incorrectly," he said.

Return to India and importance

The relics will be returned to India later this year with Dornan stating that the agreement is very significant as it is the first repatriation to India from a UK museum.

"We haven't had details of how the objects will be used once they return to India. But obviously there are of significance and it's an important moment in India as it is in Glasgow, so I'm sure they will be subject to a great deal of public attention," he said.

As per a report by Daily Mail, Bailie Annette Christie, a chair of Glasgow Life and Glasgow City councillor added that the repatriation of the objects is of great historical and cultural value to both India and Glasgow.

"The agreement reached with the Government of India is another example of Glasgow’s commitment to addressing past wrongs and remaining transparent when explaining how objects arrived in the city’s museum collections," she added.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.