US to Return Three Ancient Bronze Sculptures to India After Illegal Removal

• The US will return three ancient bronze sculptures, including 'Shiva Nataraja', 'Somaskanda', and 'Saint Sundarar with Paravai', to India.
• The sculptures were illegally removed from temples in Tamil Nadu, India, as confirmed by rigorous provenance research by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art.
• The 'Shiva Nataraja' will be placed on long-term loan to the museum, allowing it to share the object's history and underscore commitment to provenance research.
• Research, in collaboration with the French Institute of Pondicherry, confirmed the bronzes were photographed in Tamil Nadu temples between 1956 and 1959.
• The Archaeological Survey of India affirmed the sculptures were removed in violation of Indian laws, highlighting the museum's commitment to ethical practices.

Why It Matters: US museum returns three illegally removed ancient Indian bronze sculptures, emphasizing ethical collection practices.