Chennai

The artefacts were bought by the National Gallery of Australia from Subhash Kapoor. Criminal proceedings are underway in India and the US against Kapoor.

The artefacts being returned are a pair of 15th century door guardians (dvarapala) from Tamil Nadu and a 6th to 8th century serpent king (nagaraja) from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh.

“Like India, we understand the value of our ancient cultures and artefacts... The return of these artefacts is the right thing to do,” Morrison said in a statement.

The statement said the Australian government does not have any role in the proceedings.

Both India and Australia are party to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transport of Ownership of Cultural Property.

The move comes amid growing calls for repatriation of cultural artefacts from foreign museums, those looted as well as those taken with official sanction.

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