Three from Australia, over 650 recovered worldwide: India tries to bring home its stolen artefacts. explainer news

Last updated:July 10, 2026, 11:11 IST

Australia said it would return three ancient Indian artefacts – a metal trident bearing the image of the goddess Bhadrakali, a granite statue of Nandi, and a six-headed stone statue of Kartikeya.

The return of three temple artefacts stolen from Australia marks the latest success in India’s decade-long effort to reclaim its looted cultural heritage from museums and collections around the world. The announcement came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the India-Australia annual leaders’ summit in Melbourne on Thursday.

Australia said it would voluntarily return three ancient Indian artefacts stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu – a ceremonial metal trident bearing the image of the goddess Bhadrakali, a granite statue of Nandi, and a six-headed stone statue of Kartikeya (Skanda-Subramaniam). These artefacts, dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, were found in temples in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts before disappearing from the international antiquities market.

The announcement was made during PM Modi’s visit to Australia, where he held bilateral talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. In a joint statement after the summit, the two leaders welcomed the voluntary return of the artefacts as part of enhanced cultural cooperation between the two countries. Australia’s Prime Minister’s Office said the move reflected its commitment to strengthening cultural ties with India, while India’s Ministry of External Affairs described it as another important step towards restoring the country’s stolen heritage.

These three artefacts may seem minor compared to some of the famous Chola bronzes that have made headlines over the years, but they represent something much bigger. Their return adds to the ever-growing list of sacred statues, sculptures and antiquities that India has managed to recover over the past decade. Once smuggled through sophisticated international smuggling networks and sold to museums, galleries and private collectors abroad, these artefacts are increasingly being returned home through diplomatic engagement, criminal investigations and international cooperation.

Dramatic change in reclaiming stolen heritage

India’s efforts to recover stolen antiquities have gained momentum over the past decade. According to government data, only 13 antiquities were returned to India between independence and 2014. However, since 2014, more than 640 antiquities have been brought back from countries in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, bringing the total recovered to more than 650.

Many of these recoveries have coincided with high-level diplomatic engagements, with foreign governments choosing to return stolen artifacts during bilateral visits as a gesture of goodwill.

Australia: From dancing Shiva to Bhadrakali’s trident

Australia has been one of the most prominent partners in India’s heritage restoration efforts.

The first major breakthrough came in September 2014, when then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott traveled to New Delhi and handed over two stolen Chola masterpieces directly to Prime Minister Modi. These include the famous 900-year-old Nataraja idol stolen from the Brihadeshwara temple in Sripuranthan and the Ardhanarishwara idol from Tamil Nadu. Both were purchased by Australian institutions after passing through the network of disgraced antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor using forged provenance documents.

In 2022, during Albany’s earlier engagement with India, Australia returned 29 antiquities, ranging from sculptures and paintings to photographs and decorative objects from several historical periods. The collection included works from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.

Now, during PM Modi’s current visit to Melbourne, Australia has announced the return of three more sacred objects – Bhadrakali Trident, Nandi idol and Karthikeya idol – which were stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu.

America has returned the largest number

No country has returned more Indian antiquities than the United States. During PM Modi’s visit to Washington DC in June 2016, the US handed over around 200 stolen artefacts, including a Chola bronze of Tamil Shaiva saint Manikkavacakara and a thousand-year-old Vinayagar statue stolen from Sripuranthan. The seizure follows a years-long investigation by US Homeland Security Investigations into the global smuggling racket run by Subhash Kapoor.

In 2021, during PM Modi’s visit to the United States for the Quad summit, another 157 antiquities were returned after a joint investigation by US authorities and Indian agencies.

The largest single repatriation occurred in September 2024, when the United States returned 297 antiquities during PM Modi’s visit. The Ministry of External Affairs said that these objects were stolen or smuggled from different parts of India and represent nearly 4,000 years of India’s civilizational history.

Other countries have joined this effort

Many other countries have also returned Indian artefacts in the last decade.

Canada had returned the 10th century Parrot Lady (Shalabhanjika) statue during PM Modi’s visit in 2015.

Singapore returned the bronze statue of Uma Parameswari in 2016 after lengthy negotiations and reunited it with the famous Sripuranthana Nataraja.

The United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and several European countries have brought back statues, bronze sculptures and other antiquities over the years through court orders, museum reviews and diplomatic channels.

General Sources: Temples of Tamil Nadu

A notable number of the artefacts recovered originate from Tamil Nadu. The state is home to thousands of ancient temples, many of which date back to the Chola period between the 9th and 13th centuries. Their bronze and stone sculptures are considered among the finest examples of Indian art, making them highly valued in the international antiquities market.

Many thefts occurred in less-guarded village temples, where the original idols were replaced with replicas or remained unnoticed for years. Investigators later discovered that many eventually surfaced in prestigious museums in Australia, the United States and Europe after being supplied through organized smuggling syndicates using fabricated ownership records. The Subhash Kapoor network alone is believed to have smuggled hundreds of Indian antiquities around the world before the racket was exposed by an international investigation.

How India brings home its stolen gods

Indian agencies first established that an artefact was stolen by matching archival temple photographs, ASI records, FIRs and documents maintained by institutions such as the French Institute of Puducherry. The evidence is then shared with foreign governments, museums, and law-enforcement agencies.

Many museums have voluntarily returned artworks after provenance checks revealed forged ownership histories. In other cases, recovery has occurred following criminal trials, diplomatic negotiations or bilateral agreements on cultural property.

The announcement in Melbourne is the latest reminder that India’s drive to reclaim its sacred heritage has become an integral part of its diplomacy. Each statue recovered is not just an archaeological object returning home, it restores a piece of living history that once belonged inside a temple rather than behind the glass walls of a museum thousands of kilometers away.

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