Three From Australia, Over 650 Recovered Worldwide: India's Hunt To Bring Its Stolen Artefacts Home

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

Australia said it would return three ancient Indian artefacts - a metal trident with image of Goddess Bhadrakali, a granite idol of Nandi, and a six-headed stone idol of Kartikeya.

The return of three stolen temple artefacts from Australia marks the latest success in India’s decade-long effort to reclaim its looted cultural heritage from museums and collections across 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 that had been stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu – a ceremonial metal trident bearing the image of Goddess Bhadrakali, a granite idol of Nandi, and a six-headed stone idol of Kartikeya (Skanda-Subramanya). The artefacts, dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, had been traced to temples in Thanjavur and Thiruvarur districts before they disappeared into 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 expanding 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 in restoring the country’s stolen heritage.

The three artefacts may appear modest compared to some of the celebrated Chola bronzes that have made headlines over the years, but they represent something far larger. Their return adds to a steadily growing list of sacred idols, sculptures and antiquities that India has managed to recover over the past decade. Once smuggled through sophisticated international trafficking networks and sold to museums, galleries and private collectors abroad, these artefacts are increasingly finding their way back home through diplomatic engagement, criminal investigations and international cooperation.

Dramatic Turnaround In Recovering Stolen Heritage

India’s efforts to retrieve stolen antiquities have accelerated significantly over the past decade. According to government data, only 13 antiquities were returned to India between Independence and 2014. Since 2014, however, more than 640 antiquities have been repatriated from countries across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, taking the total number recovered to well over 650.

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

Australia: From The Dancing Shiva To Bhadrakali’s Trident

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

The first major breakthrough came in September 2014, when then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott travelled to New Delhi and handed over two stolen Chola masterpieces directly to Prime Minister Modi. They included the celebrated 900-year-old Nataraja idol stolen from the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Sripuranthan and an Ardhanarishvara idol from Tamil Nadu. Both had been purchased by Australian institutions after passing through the network of disgraced antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor using forged provenance documents.

In 2022, during Albanese’s earlier engagement with India, Australia returned 29 antiquities, ranging from sculptures and paintings to photographs and decorative objects spanning multiple historical periods. The collection included works linked to 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 – the Bhadrakali trident, Nandi idol and Kartikeya sculpture — all stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu.

US 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 nearly 200 stolen artefacts, including a Chola bronze of Tamil Shaivite saint Manikkavacakar and the thousand-year-old Vinayagar idol stolen from Sripuranthan. The recovery followed years of 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 joint investigations involving US authorities and Indian agencies.

The largest single repatriation came in September 2024, when the United States returned 297 antiquities during PM Modi’s visit. The Ministry of External Affairs said the objects had been stolen or trafficked from different parts of India and represented nearly 4,000 years of India’s civilisational history.

Other Countries Have Joined The Effort

Several other countries have also returned Indian artefacts over the past decade.

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

Singapore returned the bronze idol of Uma Parameswari in 2016 after prolonged negotiations, reuniting it with the famous Sripuranthan Nataraja.

United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and several European nations have repatriated sculptures, bronze idols and other antiquities through court orders, museum reviews and diplomatic channels over the years.

The Common Thread: Tamil Nadu’s Temples

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

Many thefts took place in poorly guarded village temples, where original idols were replaced with replicas or simply disappeared unnoticed for years. Investigators later discovered that several eventually surfaced in prestigious museums across Australia, the United States and Europe after being supplied through organised smuggling syndicates using fabricated ownership records. The Subhash Kapoor network alone is believed to have trafficked hundreds of Indian antiquities across the world before international investigations exposed the racket.

How India Brings Its Stolen Gods Home

Indian agencies first establish that an artefact was stolen by matching archival temple photographs, ASI records, FIRs and documentation 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 artefacts after provenance investigations revealed forged ownership histories. In other cases, recoveries have followed criminal prosecutions, diplomatic negotiations or bilateral agreements on cultural property.

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

About the Author

Pragati Ratti

Pragati is a News Editor at news18.com. Having headed the Business and Viral sections, Pragati now ideates, writes and edits long-form features and articles on national and global affairs. She ensures...Read More

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