This heavenly sandstone sculpture of “Devata”, the divine woman from the Chandela period, has recently become a part of the news. The reason behind her popularity (besides her otherworldly beauty) is that the Devata sculpture is part of 1440 artifacts that are soon coming back to India from the US.
This process of art coming back to its place of origin is known as repatriation, a term that means “homecoming”. In the modern period, as nations became aware of the power and value of art as a marker and symbol of their heritage, repatriation has become a key element in diplomatic talks and events focused on building international relations.
At this joyous occasion of a huge chunk of Indian art treasure coming back home, let us take a look at why and how art goes beyond its asthetic beauty and becomes a matter of national pride and identity, the efforts by India and the world to ensure that national heritage does not stay away from home for long, and what can be done by us, as individuals and collectives to help boost these efforts.
Attack on sites of religious and political importance and looting of sculptures and artifacts as an expression of victory and a way of adding insult to injury has been a war tactic since pre-modern times. The infamous plundering of Somnath Temple, during which many of its treasures and artifacts were stolen by Mahmud Ghazni, is one of the many events in history where the act of taking away art was a way of marking one’s victory and shaming the defeated dynasties.
The site of Somnath has finally regained its glory, with kings in the medieval period and prominent devotees, temple trust, and ASI devoting resources to its preservation. Another interesting episode of “loot” of art by the victors is “Tipu’s Tiger”, an automated artifact depicting a roaring tiger attacking a crying British soldier. It was originally made for Tipu Sultan, who was also called “Mysore’s Tiger”, as a representation of his valor and supremacy in the face of British challenge.
However, after his defeat in the battle of Seringapatam (1799), the tiger was taken by the British troops to be exhibited in the Tower of London, a historical building that is today the symbol of British imperial power. These historical moments underline the value of art in contexts of power and politics. While in their home, art and artifacts are symbols of abundance and cultural richness, the act of looting and their time away from their place of origin are historically linked with defeat, decline, and colonialism.
Due to this direct connection of art with identity, nations, especially the ones that had been through centuries of colonialism and imperialism, made it a part of their modern vision to restore and repatriate art. India since its independence has dedicated organizations and resources to bringing its heritage home. In 1947, we came up with the Antiquities (Export Control) Act, which stops the export of art without a proper license.
1958 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act gave additional strength to the preexisting law, by prohibiting the trade of antiques and art pieces without getting a license from the Archeological Survey of India. The 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Properties became vital in ensuring global efforts between two or more nations in returning art to its rightful home.
While the years immediately after the independence of India were marked by efforts of restoration of monuments and religious sites at home, recent years have seen a focus of government and private organizations in bringing cultural artifacts back. As a result of this combined industriousness, an 11th-century Nataraja bronze, and a 10th-century Ardhanarishwara icon along with several other important artifacts were brought back from Australia.
In 2015, during his visit to India, Canadian PM Stephen Harper came bearing gifts, among which was the 12th-century parrot lady sculpture taken away from Khajuraho. The year 2016 saw the return of 200 antiques from America, brought by Barrack Obama. The India Pride Project established in 2014 by S. Vijay Kumar and Anurag Saxena is a great example of collective and individual vision of preserving heritage.
Benefiting from the digital network, the project has gathered a volunteer force across the globe, of trained and driven individuals who work toward a single goal. A prominent day in India’s continuous efforts to get as many heritage artifacts home as possible came in July 2024, when a Cultural Property Agreement was signed between America and India, focused on
a) Stopping the trafficking of cultural artefacts
b) Returning antique items to their place of origin
A direct result of this agreement can be seen in the return of the Chandela Devata along with other artifacts in the coming days.
Art at once is political and personal. Any statue or painting created in the pre-modern period especially, in ancient civilizations such as India has immense cultural value and a link with the people. While government organizations and international institutes have been working towards the repatriation of artifacts, at private and individual levels, there are certain things that we can do to be a part of a global effort.
☀ As buyers, connoisseurs, collectors, and lovers of art, it is our duty to understand and practice ethics while dealing with art.
☀ For the buyers and collectors, who have a major say in defining the demand and supply of the global art market, ethical behavior becomes key, in ensuring that their passion is fed by fair trade practices, and not by illicit trade and blackmarketing of art.
☀ For those who visit galleries, museums, and heritage sites, it is important to treat the onsite artifacts with respect. Defacing and stealing from monuments by visitors, sadly continues to be a problem for government bodies working in heritage preservation. It is only with an aware population that the government will be able to achieve the best results when it comes to cherishing national property and culture.
“History belongs to its geography” is a line that you see on the social media handle of India Pride Project. How thought-provoking! It is true that history, art, and heritage seem like luxurious terms, which have nothing to do with our everyday, mundane life. But if we look closely, our heritage- contained in the art and artifacts of our civilization, makes us who we are, they carry the wisdom of our past, and the pride of our ancestors and are a visible link between our past and future generations.
At Exotic India Art, we are proud of our pledge to cultural preservation and fair trade. Thanks to our global customer base and our dedicated artists living in every corner of India, we have been consistently bringing the heritage of our nation to the world. By participating in open and ethical trade and focusing on promoting our art, we have been a part of the country's and world’s initiatives for conserving culture.
Explore our online collection and be a proud part of the international movement of preserving art!
FAQs
Repatriation means the return to the home of a person or object. In the context of art and artifacts, it is used to describe the return of a piece of cultural and historical value to its country of origin.
Ethical trade in art is marked by fair trade practices, licensed trade, and the absence of illicit or illegal practices such as loot and black marketing of artifacts.
While both words are used interchangeably, art is usually produced for aesthetic value while artifacts have other purposes such as ritual, architectural or personal.
The Chandela Devata or divine dancer (Apsara), is a life-size sandstone sculpture, that depicts a high point of Indian art. With refined details, and the animated and graceful stance of the subject that radiates beauty, it is a masterpiece and a global symbol of Indian heritage. Housed in the MET, New York, it is now set to return to India.
Reference Links
https://organiser.org/2024/11/20/266038/bharat/restoring-culture-1440-ancient-indian-artefacts-worth-rs-84-crore-to-return-from-us-due-to-pm-modis-efforts/
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/15/style/india-us-returns-antiquities-hnk-intl/index.html
https://www.indiatoday.in/sunday-special/story/repatriation-india-pride-project-looted-smuggled-gods-statues-colonial-rule-heritage-vijay-kumar-british-museums-2563311-2024-07-07
https://itsartlaw.org/2024/09/25/reclaiming-the-past-an-overview-of-the-u-s-india-cultural-property-agreement/
https://asiasociety.org/india/art-loot-antiques-repatriation
https://indianculture.gov.in/retrieved-artefacts-of-india/artefact-chronicles
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/900-yr-old-parrot-lady-relives-journey-from-canada-8461443/
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