Cultural Restitution

April 18, 2023
INDIA
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INDIA

Updated July 2025

Below is a schedule of successful restitutions made to India, together with other restitution news.

Entries are updated regularly.


July 2025

A Mumbai-based Indian conglomerate has stepped up to purchase from Sotheby's the jewel collection linked to the Buddha's remains known as the Piprahwa gems

The Art Newspaper


May 2025

Sotheby's in Hong Kong have postponed an auction of jewels associated with Buddha's remains following demands from India's government to halt the sale

Euronews.com


September 2023

The Indian press reports the iconic 'wagh nakh', the tiger claw-shaped daggar used to kill Afzal Khan in 1659, is to be repatriated by the Victoria & Albert Museum

The Times of India


May 2023

Demands by India for the return of thousands of objects in UK collections have been "significantly overstated" according to Indian sources

The Hindu.com


May 2023

In claims that have been discredited, The Daily Telegraph reported that India is set to demand the return of a large number of colonial treasures, including the Koh-I-Noor diamond

The Daily Telegraph


April 2023

After losing so much of its heritage, two sleuths are bringing back India's stolen treasures

BBC Culture


April 2023

Steps India should take to preserve and ensure the return of its looted cultural treasures include the creation of its own 'Digital Benin' project

The Telegraph India


April 2023

Failures in the safety and conservation of looted antiques returned to South-Indian state Tamil Nadu, home to some 48,000 temples, raises questions about restitution

Frontline.thehindu.com





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August 4, 2025
It’s no easy matter resolving the current ethical debate over the retention and exhibition of human remains. But one public collection is asking visitors to cast their vote