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Australia to Return Three Antiquities Stolen From Tamil Nadu Temples

Australia will return three Tamil Nadu temple artefacts, including a 12th-century Skanda sculpture, as part of a cultural repatriation agreed by the leaders.

  • On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia will return three ancient artifacts to India following bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Melbourne.
  • Canberra's decision follows investigations by the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID using the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty , which determined the items were trafficked from Tamil Nadu temples and lacked lawful export documentation.
  • The antiquities, dating to the 11th and 12th centuries, include a granite Nandi idol from the Sri Kasi Viswanatha Swamy Temple, a bronze Bhadrakali Trident, and a six-headed Skanda sculpture from the Naganathaswamy Temple.
  • In a reciprocal gesture, Albanese lauded New Delhi's "progressive strides" in repatriating an Australian First Nations ancestor held in the Government Museum in Chennai to their Traditional Custodians.
  • This repatriation concludes a provenance review process initiated over a decade ago by former High Court Justice Susan Crennan AC, marking a significant milestone in cultural reconciliation between the two nations.
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pm.gov.au broke the news on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
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