Three antiquities of Tamil Nadu origin, including a stone idol of sacred bull Nandi, are set to be repatriated to India by Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese welcomed the voluntary return of these cultural artefacts to India.
Modi, who arrived in Melbourne a day ago on the second leg of his three-nation visit, participated in the third India-Australia Annual Summit hosted by Prime Minister Albanese here on Thursday.
The two leaders held one-on-one discussions followed by delegation-level talks. They welcomed the successful completion of six years of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The Australian Prime Minister's Office said the "Australian government is deepening cultural cooperation with India, building on our strong relationship and people-to-people links." Prime Minister Albanese announced the "voluntary return of several items of cultural significance" to India previously held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia and Art Gallery of NSW (New South Wales), it said in a statement.
"The voluntary returns demonstrate Australia's ongoing commitment to being an international leader in the ethical collection of cultural material and best-practice collection management," said the statement, titled 'Building stronger cultural ties between Australia and India'.
The MEA, in a statement issued after the India-Australia Annual Summit, said the two prime ministers "noted the growing cultural exchanges that continue to deepen mutual understanding and welcomed the voluntary return to India of several cultural artefacts held by Australian institutions".
These artefacts of Tamil Nadu origin -- a stone sculpture of sacred Nandi, vehicle of Shiva (11th to 12th century); a metal trident with the image of Bhadrakali (11th century), and a six-headed Karthikeya statue in stone (12th century) -- "will be transported back to India in due course," the MEA said.
Prime Minister Albanese also "welcomed progress to repatriate an Australian First Nations ancestor held in the Government Museum of Chennai. The ancestor will be voluntarily and unconditionally repatriated by India to their Traditional Custodians," said the statement by his office.
"India's agreement to repatriate reflects the strong cultural relationship and mutual respect between our two countries," said the statement.
Modi held wide-ranging talks with Albanese, a day after landing in Australia from Indonesia on the second leg of his three-nation tour that is aimed at boosting trade and defence relations.
"Australia and India share a deep history, and we are building strong people-to-people links between our two countries," Albanese was quoted as saying in the statement by his office.
"The repatriation of First Nations ancestors promotes healing, justice and reconciliation.
"I commend Prime Minister Modi for the decision to repatriate Australian First Nations ancestors to their Traditional Custodians," he said.
