Glasgow Museums in Scotland have become the first cultural institutions in the United Kingdom to agree to return stolen artifacts from India, ArtNews reports.
Last week, delegates of the High Commission of India attended a ceremony at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, where seven items were handed over. Six of them were stolen from shrines and temples in northern India in the 19th century; among them is a carved sandstone relief depicting a male figure and a dog. It is believed that some objects are about 1000 years old.
The seventh item, the ceremonial sword, or tulwar, was stolen in 1905 from the collection of the ruler of Hyderabad, the capital of the South Indian state of Telangana. The sword was sold to British General Sir Archibald Hunter, and all seven items were later donated to Glasgow museums.
"These artifacts are an integral part of our civilizational heritage and will now be sent home," said Sujit Ghosh, Acting High Commissioner of India.
Most recently, the museum service negotiated the repatriation of 19 Beninese bronze items looted in the Kingdom of Benin (modern Nigeria) during a British expedition in 1897.
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