New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for India after concluding his visit to the US during which the prime minister said he had productive bilateral and multilateral engagements and expressed confidence that the India-US relationship will grow even stronger in the years to come. During his three-day visit, Prime Minister Modi addressed the 76th session of the United Nations Security Council, attended the first in-person Quad summit and held bilateral and multilateral engagements.
PM Narendra Modi also brought home 157 artefacts and antiquities, which were handed over to India by the US during his visit, with both he and President Joe Biden expressing commitment to strengthening efforts to combat theft, illicit trade and trafficking of cultural objects.
While nearly half of the artefacts (71) are cultural, the other half consists of figurines related to Hinduism (60), Buddhism (16) and Jainism (9), an official statement said on Saturday.
Modi conveyed his deep appreciation for the repatriation of antiquities to India by the United States.
The list of 157 artefacts includes a diverse set of items ranging from the one-and-a-half metre bas relief panel of Revanta in sandstone of the 10th CE to the 8.5 cm tall, exquisite bronze Nataraja from the 12th CE.
This continues the efforts by the Modi government to bring back India’s antiquities and artefacts from across the world, it said.