GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF CULTURE

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1916

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2018.

RETURN OF HISTORICAL ARTEFACTS FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES

1916. DR. SHASHI THAROOR :

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Ministry is aware that PM recently stated in an interview that “In

2016, at a special ceremony in Washington DC’s Blair House, US returned 200

historic artifacts” and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether these artifacts have been physically brought back to India and if so, the

details thereof; and

(c) whether the artefacts which have been returned/brought back have been reinstalled

to their original monuments/locations and if so, the details thereof along

with the current location of these artifacts ?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE AND MINISTER OF

STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a)

&

(b)

The Archaeological Survey of India does not deal with artefacts. ASI is

responsible only for retrieval of antiquities. All artefacts may not be antiquities

but all the antiquities are artifacts. Till date 17 antiquities which are also artefacts

have been returned back from US after June 2016.

(c) Two antiquities i.e. (1) Saint Manikkavichavakar (Sambanthar), (2) Ganesha

have been handed over to Idol Wing of Tamil Nadu Police and one male figure in

stone has been sent to Khajuraho Museum. The remaining objects are still in

the custody of Archaeological Survey of India.