An article appeared in the Times of India on July 3, 2006, on this subject and for some reason I preserved the page, hoping that in the near future I would do some research on how much we have actually lost in terms of not only the Kohinoor which the British Government is still unwilling to return it to India. There are also possibilities of the treasures of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Chhatrapati Shivaji stored in British Museum – never to be displayed either in England nor will they be returned to India, the Country from where they were plundered.
In 2006 the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles decided to return Italian art objects that it had in its possession, back to the Italian Government – it was a noble gesture that showed respect for the cultural heritage of another country where it rightfully belongs.
More than any artifacts, the British took back home a large hoard of Buddha images ranging from the first to the twelfth century CE. If we turn the pages of history to the time of the ‘East India Company, ’who came to India in the year 1612 as traders and soon turned their attention to collecting some of the finest Images which they took back as personal possessions. The ‘bounty hunting’ continued till the 1900s. One is not sure how much of the loot actually went to the British Museums and how many of these magnificent images still remain as heirlooms or are up-for-sale in Auction Houses. There is no way we can know. However we do know that in the ‘Reserve Stock of Antiquities’ preserved in warehouses – never to be seen by even the Britishers.
We would like to make the British Government aware that holding on to what is an integral part of our history is akin to stealing. Indians need to have access to their rich cultural heritage and no other country has any business holding on to it.
Do you think that the Government of India should actively campaign for the return of its heritage especially its Buddhist past which pilgrims coming to India would prefer to see in an Indian museum….or do you think otherwise? We invite you to give us your view.
#1 by Manoj Kumar Choubey on February 13th, 2010
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Preserving India’s Buddhist Heritage Abroad
To argue that artifacts are ‘national’ treasures and so they should be handed back to places of their origin is as baseless an argument. Instead we should conceive a world project whereby all share humankind’s collective heritage. How does it matter if Chinese, Indian or Italian artifacts are housed in places outside their respective national borders, so long as they are being taken good care of and are accessible to whosoever wishes to see them?
I am aware of the fact that the British, French and Dutch did plunder some of our ‘national treasures’ among the artifacts that they shipped back to their respective countries, among these stolen treasures were some very precious Buddhist icons. But why rewind history? It will set an unhealthy precedent, prompting several countries – especially former colonies – to demand that their ‘stolen relics be returned to the countries of their origin, as they are ‘national treasures’.
Our museums are dreary places, where cultural relics are often left to moulder in the dust. Objects displayed in them are seldom shown off to best effect. On the other hand, museums abroad attract huge numbers of people who get to see their treasures. We should do a good job first of mastering techniques of preservation, maintenance and restoration, as well as learning how best to display art objects we already possess. Once we have attained international standards of excellence, we can make a bid for obtaining cultural treasures from all over the world.
Manoj kumar choubey
m.kumarchaubey@yahoo.co.in
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