Three ancient Indian artefacts handed over by Australia to Indian mission
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Canberra: The National Gallery of Australia has handed over three ancient Indian artefacts to the Indian High Commission in Canberra, moving forward on a cultural heritage commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during their July summit.
The returned objects include a bronze trident associated with Goddess Bhadrakali, a granite idol of Nandi and a basalt sculpture of the six-headed deity Karthikeya. The Indian mission said the artefacts would soon be brought back to India.
In a post on X, the High Commission of India in Australia said the transfer followed the commitment made by the two leaders at the third Annual Leaders’ Summit in July 2026.
“Following through on the high-level commitment made by our Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese during the 3rd Annual Leaders’ Summit in July 2026, through its sustained efforts, the High Commission of India in Australia has formally taken over and is transferring the three precious Indian artefacts to India,” the mission said.
It thanked the National Gallery of Australia for its cooperation in completing the transfer and said the objects would “bring our treasured heritage home.”
The handover is part of a broader effort by the two countries to return culturally significant items held in Australian institutions. During his visit to Melbourne in July, Albanese had announced that Australia would voluntarily return several objects of importance to India from the collections of the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Albanese had also welcomed India’s decision to repatriate the remains of an Australian First Nations ancestor held in the Government Museum in Chennai. He said the remains would be returned voluntarily and unconditionally to their traditional custodians.
Addressing a joint press conference with Modi after their delegation-level talks, the Australian Prime Minister said the exchange reflected the deep cultural relationship and mutual respect between the two countries.
“Australia and India share a deep history, and we are building strong people-to-people links between our two countries,” Albanese said. “The repatriation of First Nations ancestor promotes healing, justice, and reconciliation.”
He praised Modi’s decision to return the ancestral remains, saying it would strengthen the historical bonds and expanding people-to-people ties between India and Australia.
(Inputs from IANS)