Two Ancient Tamil Nadu Bronzes Returned to India from US

India has repatriated two significant temple bronze artefacts from the Smithsonian Institution in the United States , Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced on Wednesday.

The returned artefacts include the 12th-century Chola-period Somaskanda (Shiva and Uma) bronze and the 16th-century Vijayanagara-period Saint Sundarar with Paravai bronze. Both artefacts arrived in India late Tuesday night and were displayed at the National Museum in New Delhi alongside 11 antiquities recently returned from Australia.

Addressing a press conference, Shekhawat said India has also secured ownership of another Chola-era bronze sculpture, Shiva Nataraja , originally belonging to the Sri Bhava Aushadesvara Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Tanjavur district. The sculpture is currently on loan to the Smithsonian Institution for a three-year exhibition and will be repatriated after the display concludes.

The Culture Ministry said the bronzes were illicitly removed by antiquities smugglers and art dealers operating within organised temple theft networks in Tamil Nadu in the mid-20th century and later housed abroad. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) traced the artefacts to their original temple sites through archival records, field documentation, and historical photographs from the 1950s and 1960s.

Shekhawat described the return of the artefacts as a major milestone in India’s campaign to recover stolen cultural heritage. He said 668 antiquities have now been repatriated to India from various countries, including 653 since 2014.

The minister also revealed that 657 additional Indian-origin artefacts handed over by US law enforcement agencies are expected to arrive in India soon after transportation formalities are completed.