09 July,2026 11:13 PM IST | Melbourne | mid-day online correspondent
The artefacts include a stone sculpture of the sacred Nandi, a metal trident bearing the image of Goddess Bhadrakali, and a six-headed stone sculpture of Lord Karthikeya. PIC/X
Three cultural artefacts of Indian origin, including a stone sculpture of the sacred bull Nandi, will be repatriated to India from Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese welcomed the voluntary return of the artefacts during the third India-Australia Annual Summit held in Melbourne.
Modi, who arrived in Australia on the second leg of his three-nation tour, held one-on-one talks with Albanese, followed by delegation-level discussions. The two leaders also welcomed the successful completion of six years of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
In a statement, the Australian PM's Office said the government was deepening cultural cooperation with India by strengthening bilateral ties and people-to-people connections.
PM Albanese announced the voluntary return of several culturally significant objects to India that were previously part of the collections of the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales (NSW).
"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," the statement, titled Building stronger cultural ties between Australia and India, said.
In its statement issued after the summit, the MEA 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."
The artefacts to be returned are all of Tamil Nadu origin. They include a stone sculpture of the sacred Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva (11th-12th century), a metal trident bearing the image of Goddess Bhadrakali (11th century), and a six-headed stone sculpture of Lord Karthikeya (12th century).
The MEA said the artefacts "will be transported back to India in due course".
The Australian PM's Office also said Albanese welcomed progress on the repatriation of an Australian First Nations ancestor currently held at the Government Museum in Chennai.
"The ancestor will be voluntarily and unconditionally repatriated by India to their Traditional Custodians," the statement said.
"India's agreement to repatriate reflects the strong cultural relationship and mutual respect between our two countries," it added.
PM Modi held wide-ranging discussions with Albanese on Thursday, a day after arriving in Australia from Indonesia, with the visit focused on strengthening trade, defence, and strategic cooperation.
"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.
"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.
(With PTI inputs)
