Seven stolen artifacts will be returned to India from Glasgow, marking the country’s first repatriation from a British museum.
The items include a ceremonial Indo-Persian tulwar, a type of sword, believed to date back to the 14th century; three carved stone pillar fragments from a 10th century Hindu temple in Kanpur; a sandstone carving of the Hindu goddess Uma or Durga; and an 11th century carved stone door jamb from a Hindu temple in Kanpur.
Yesterday, Glasgow Life, the organisation that oversees the city’s museum collections, invited delegates from the Indian High Commission to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for a transfer of ownership ceremony to return the artefacts, some of which are over 1,000 years old.
Six were taken from temples and shrines in various Northern Indian states during the 19th century, while the seventh was stolen from the Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad’s collection in 1905 by his prime minister, who then sold it to the British commander Sir Archibald Hunter.
Sujit Ghosh, India’s Deputy High Commissioner in London, expressed his elation at the decision to repatriate the artifacts to India.
These artifacts are a vital part of our cultural legacy and will now be returned home, he continued.
The seven relics are part of a larger initiative by Glasgow Museums to return more than 50 cultural artifacts to the descendants of their rightful owners. This is the greatest repatriation of objects from a single collection in Scotland’s history.
It also intends to return to Nigeria 19 Benin bronzes that were removed from religious locations and ceremonial structures during the 1897 Benin Expedition.
In the meantime, 25 pieces of Native American culture will be returned to the Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala tribes of South Dakota.
Some of these items were removed from the Wounded Knee Massacre site after the December 1890 conflict.
Glasgow has spearheaded repatriation efforts in the United Kingdom since 1998, when the city decided to return the Lakota Sacred Ghost Dance clothing to the Wounded Knee Survivors’ Association, according to the head of museums and collections at Glasgow Life.
The transfer of ownership of the Indian antiques represents an important step for Glasgow, which continues its positive repatriation history by ensuring that these cultural artifacts are returned to their rightful owners.
Bailie Annette Christie, chair of Glasgow Life and Glasgow City councillor, stated, ‘The repatriation of these items is of tremendous historical and cultural significance to both Glasgow and India, thus it is an honor to invite Indian leaders to our city for such a momentous occasion.
The agreement made with the Government of India exemplifies Glasgow’s dedication to rectifying past wrongs and maintaining transparency when describing how artefacts entered the city’s museum collections.