UNITED KINGDOM/INDIA: An agreement was signed regarding the returning of Indian artifacts at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum by representatives of the Indian High Commission to complete the transaction.
It is believed to be the first repatriation of items from a UK museum to India, with more to come in other countries.Six of the objects, including carvings from the fourteenth century and stone door jams from the eleventh century, were taken from temples and shrines in the nineteenth century.
The seventh item, a ceremonial sword known as a talwar with its sheath, was taken from the Nizam of Hyderabad’s collection by his prime minister in 1905. Thereafter, he sold it to Sir Archibald Hunter, a British commander.
Glasgow Museums received a gift for every item. Honours for the therapist who transported artwork to Barlinnie, Glasgow’s oldest residence, for a $1 million restoration.
Glasgow Girl’s artwork discovered in an attic will be displayed. According to the Museum, the objects are thought to come from Hyderabad, Bihar, Gwalior, Kanpur, Kolkata, and Bihar.
They are estimated to be around 1,000 years old in certain cases. The artifacts’ return was welcomed by acting Indian high commissioner Sujit Ghosh. These artifacts will now be returned home since they are an essential part of our civilisation’s legacy, he said.
We want to thank everyone who helped make this happen, especially Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council. The museum has previously given back stolen artifacts to their own countries.
The process of repatriating antiquities has been ongoing in Glasgow for a considerable amount of time, according to Duncan Dornan, director of Glasgow Museums. The ghost shirt was returned to the Lakota nation in 1998, becoming the first item to be returned to the originating nation.
Later this year, the artifacts will be delivered to the Indian government. The deal is particularly important, according to Dornan, as this is the first repatriation of items from a UK museum to India.
‘Details on the artifacts’ intended purpose in India have not been provided. However, they are significant and the event is significant in both Glasgow and India, so I’m sure they will draw a lot of public attention.
This is truly a way to forge new, stronger connections, work together to enhance our offerings, and benefit both our visitors and the general population. Other artifacts will also be returned to their original cultures.
The Museum claimed that the allegations only applied to less than 60 items or a small portion of its entire collection. 19 bronze sculptures stolen in 1897 during the siege of Benin City in Nigeria are among the most recent claims to be approved.
The Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes of South Dakota will also get about 25 Lakota and Oceti Sakowin ancestral and cultural relics.
George Crager, a tour guide for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show who travelled to Glasgow in 1892, had purchased them and donated the proceeds to the city’s museums.
The repatriation procedure, according to Glasgow Life, would enable it to utilise collections in a “more honest and well-researched way” and foster links with other nations.
Also Read: London Museum To Return Nigeria’s Stolen Artifacts
