US Returns $10 Million Worth Of Stolen Indian Antiquities, Including Rare Sculptures

The US has returned over 1,400 stolen antiquities to India, with a collective value of $10 million. Among the items are two significant sculptures that were looted from Indian temples in the 1960s and 1980s. The return was part of an ongoing effort to repatriate cultural heritage items taken illegally from India.

Sandstone Sculpture of Celestial Dancer Repatriated

One of the most notable pieces is a sandstone sculpture from Madhya Pradesh, depicting a celestial dancer. Looted in the early 1980s, the sculpture was split into two parts to facilitate smuggling. By 1992, it was imported into New York from London and later donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). It remained on display until it was seized by the Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) in 2023.

The US returned the sculpture as part of a larger repatriation effort overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Tanesar Mother Goddess Sculpted in Green-Schist Recovered

Another major piece, the Tanesar Mother Goddess sculpture, was looted from the village of Tanesara-Mahadeva in Rajasthan during the 1960s. It was first documented by an Indian archaeologist in the late 1950s but was stolen in the early 1960s along with other mother goddess sculptures. By 1968, it had made its way to a Manhattan gallery, and by 1993, the Met had acquired it. It remained in the museum until it was seized by the ATU in 2022.

Both sculptures were recovered under investigations into criminal trafficking networks, including those linked to notorious traffickers like Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener. The District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit continues to investigate these trafficking rings.

Ongoing Efforts to Return Stolen Antiquities from India

The returned antiquities are part of an ongoing effort to repatriate cultural artifacts looted from India. This includes over 600 additional items that are scheduled for return in the coming months. Under Mr. Bragg’s leadership, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned more than 2,100 stolen antiquities, valued at almost $230 million, from over 30 countries.

“We will continue to investigate the many trafficking networks that have targeted Indian cultural heritage,” Bragg stated.

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