A Vishnu-Lakshmi sandstone sculpture, one of three stolen from India, is seen during a repatriation ceremony of the artefacts at the Indian consulate in New York on Tuesday. Photo: Narayan Lakshman

For those contributors to Raxa Collective based in India, but of USA citizenship, it is no stretch to say that Indians in India have treated Americans in India with the same friendliness as ever, and then some, in spite of a recent diplomatic spat between the two countries (if you were not aware of it, don’t bother, as the storm appears to be passing).  Ladies and gentlemen of India, we salute you. Now, news of gentlemanly behavior on the part of authorities in the USA, with uncanny timing as it comes on the heels of that diplomatic problem.  The return of these antiquities is a seriously good thing on its own, but we would be happy to think that cultural heritage plays a role in improving relations between two countries:

The U.S. handover to India this week, of idols worth more than $1.5m stolen from temples in Rajasthan, and Bihar or West Bengal, marked what seemed to be a gradual thaw in bilateral frost following a month-long diplomatic crisis.

In a repatriation ceremony at the New York Consulate of India, where the diplomat at the centre of the crisis, Devyani Khobragade, used to work, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) on Tuesday returned two sandstone sculptures of “Vishnu and Lakshmi,” respectively weighing 159 and 272 kg.

The two antique carvings were said to have been purloined from the Gadgach Temple in Atru, Rajasthan, in 2009, following which the Archaeological Survey of India that in turn joined hands with ICE and Interpol in an investigation that is still in progress

While no suspects were named by officials in New York, they firmly ruled out that the elaborate idol theft network being investigated was in any way connected to Subhash Kapoor, the alleged mastermind behind a much larger trove of stolen artefacts seized in the U.S. in July 2012.

A third, black sandstone sculpture of a Bodhisattava, a popular subject in Buddhist art, was also returned to the Indian government, and was said to date back to the 11th or early 12th century from either the Indian State of Bihar or West Bengal.

New Delhi and Washington witnessed an uptick in diplomatic hostilities following the arrest and strip search of Ms. Khobragade on December 12, 2013 a crisis that culminated in her criminal indictment for visa fraud and dramatic departure to India under immunity from a new role at the United Nations.

However on Tuesday Indian and U.S. officials were warm in their expressions of gratitude for cooperation in the case against the idol thieves, with HSI Executive Director James Dinkins saying, “The excellent cooperation between India and the U.S. led to the recovery and return of these priceless antiquities.”

Similarly Indian Consul-General Dnyaneshwar Mulay said, “The successful investigations and repatriation of these cultural artefacts underscores the importance of growing institutional partnership, which is of great significance to both countries.”…

Read the whole article here.