Hyderabad: With the Smithsonian Institution in the United States (US) agreeing to return to India three sculptures, which were stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu, hopes of at least loaning of some of the precious artefacts from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, now on display in various museums around the world, have rekindled in Telugu states.
While repatriation of stolen artefacts is an easy process, taking back of objects, which were moved out of India during the colonial period, is a long, tedious and near impossible task.
Keeping this in mind, the external affairs ministry has suggested that local officials come up with a comprehensive plan to seek loaning of Indian objects of historical, cultural, archaeological, and religious significance from museums in other countries.
After the AP government stepped up its demand for return of the Amaravati artefacts in the UK, Piyush Srivastava, additional secretary (EW) in the ministry of external affairs wrote to Ajay Jain, special chief secretary (culture) stating that the Indian high commission in London has initiated a discussion with the British Museum on the repatriation of the Amaravati sculptures.
"It may be worth considering that as a first step it might be more feasible to discuss the loan of these artefacts," the official said adding that "the permanent return of such artefacts, which have been in the custody of British Museum for a long time, could take relatively longer, and could also potentially involve conditions which could take time to address."
He said that the loaning of the artefacts, once worked out between the British Museum and suitable agencies on the Indian side, could help further conversations which could eventually help create conditions conducive for their permanent return.
He also suggested that to facilitate the conversation with the British Museum, the state government should send a detailed proposal for loaning of the artefacts. He also suggested that the AP government provide details of the agency that would take ownership of the artefacts during their presence in India.
Several treasures from Telugu states abroad
At least 120 sculptures and artefacts from Amaravati dating back to first Century BCE to fifth century CE are on display in the British Museum alone. About a dozen famous diamonds that were discovered from the Krishna river basin during the Qutub Shahi period too are housed in museums in France, the UK, Iran, and the USA. The notable among them are the Kohinoor, the Hope and Regent diamonds.
The Bata Museum owns the footwear of Sikandar Jah, who founded Secunderabad, that are listed among the top 10 most expensive footwear ever made.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft of the Hyderabad Squadron used in World War II is on display in the UK. The Royal Air Force Museum in London proudly displays the DH9A (De Havilland 9A), one of the several aircraft donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad to the British government during World War II. The plane belonged to the Hyderabad Squadron 110 of the RAF.
Buddhist sculptures and artefacts from the Nizam's collection and Golconda paintings from Telangana too have made their way to international museums.
Notable among them are the ceremonial sword of the Nizam in Glasgow Museum, Buddhist artefacts in New York Museum and an Alam (standard used during Muharram) made of brass in the National Gallery of Australia, which was returned to India a few years ago. The National Museum of Korea in Seoul too has objects from the two Telugu states.
The Amaravati stupas or marbles, popularly known as Elliot marbles, named after Sir
Walter Elliot, one of the Britishers involved in the excavation of the Buddhist Amaravati mound or Amaravti Mahachaitya, were moved to London in 1859.
For many years, the marble sculptures suffered damage due to poor storage conditions after the abolition of the East India Company. Originally meant to be kept on display at the Indian Museum in Kolkata, they were moved to the British Museum in 1880.
Repatriation push
According to Dr Jasti Veera Anjaneyulu, who has been championing the cause of repatriation of Amaravati artefacts in museums around the world, about one-third of the sculptures discovered in Amaravati during 1845-1853 were moved to London.
Scores of Amaravati objects are with the government museum in Chennai. The remaining are scattered across various museums in the world including Singapore and France.
"The Centre earlier made it clear that since these objects were shifted out of India before Independence, they do not fall under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. Further, we cannot call it illegal trafficking as they were taken away prior to Independence," Anjaneyulu said, urging the state government to speed up the process of loaning these artefacts pending their final return.
P Anuradha Reddy of INTACH says the British Museum has the biggest collection of artefacts from Amaravati outside India and the Indian government can seek their repatriation. "We can claim rights over objects stolen from India. In the case of Amaravati sculptures and other artefacts they were documented by the British before transporting them to London."
"But the case with the Kohinoor is different as Maharaja Duleep Singh of the Sikh empire, who was made to present the diamond to the Queen, was a minor, a couple of years short of attaining legal majority," Anuradha Reddy says pointing out that the Treaty of Lahore was forced on the minor Duleep Singh.
Stating that the Indian government had loaned its artefacts to museums outside the country on many occasions, Anuradha Reddy said in cases where the objects were not stolen or illegally sold, India can seek them on loan pending final repatriation.
The most recent repatriation of historical objects related to Hyderabad was in August 2021. Of the 14 antique pieces returned to India by the National Gallery of Australia, two are from Hyderabad - brass Alam or processional standard and the original photograph of Maharaja Kishen Pershad, prime minister of the princely Hyderabad state.
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