GLASGOW'S Kelvingrove Art Gallery has become the first UK museum to repatriate artefacts to India, hosting a ceremony for seven items stolen in the 19th century to be sent back.
The repatriated items included a ceremonial Indo-Persian tulwar, a kind of sword, which is believed to date back to the 14th century and an 11th century carved stone door jamb taken from a Hindu temple in Kanpur.
Six of the seven items had been stolen from temples and shrines in different states around Northern India during the 19th century while the seventh was purchased following a theft by the owner.
Jaspreet Sukhija, first secretary to the High Commission of India said the ceremony to mark the transfer was “a really emotional moment” and that the items' return would earn a “joyous” response in India.
He added: “We hope this forms a life-long connection with [Scotland] and we hope this partnership with Glasgow Life and other museums will precede many other repatriations in the future.”
Friday’s celebratory event included traditional Indian music and dance performances as well as speeches from delegation members and the head of Glasgow Life museums service.
One of the highlights of the event was Panchami Chandukudlu’s performance of the traditional bharatanatyan dance, which earned rapturous applause from onlookers.
Efforts to repatriate the items had been ongoing since January 2021 and included extensive research on the items’ provenance and trust-building between the two sides.
Duncan Dornan, head of museums at Glasgow Life, said that the process to restore the items to their rightful owners would forge a new kind of relationship that “allows us to continue to tell their story in Glasgow in a way that is constructive that genuinely illuminates the past and contemporary relationships”.
He added: “The key thing that we can influence is lives today. This isn’t just about historic facts and correcting wrongs. It’s also about how we can build stronger relationships in the 21st century.
“This kind of process unlocks closer connections by being entirely honest about what has gone before.”
Sujit Ghosh, acting high commissioner of the High Commission of India, said: “We are delighted that our partnership with Glasgow Life has resulted in a decision to restitute Indian artefacts from Glasgow museums to India.
"These artefacts are an integral part of our civilisational heritage and will now be sent back home. We express our appreciation to all the stakeholders who made this possible, especially Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council.”
Glasgow Life is now looking to repatriate 19 Benin bronzes to Nigeria, with work on the process ongoing since it was established the artefacts – acquired as gifts, bequests and from auction houses – were taken from sacred sites and ceremonial buildings during the British Punitive Expedition of 1897.
Another 25 Lakota and Oceti Sakowin ancestor and cultural items back to the Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes of South Dakota.
The items were donated to Glasgow’s museums by George Crager, an interpreter for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show who visited the city in 1892.
