Is the British Museum Full of Stolen Indian Artefacts?

The British Museum houses some of India's and the world's most significant cultural and historical treasures, many of which were looted during Britain's centuries-long colonial rule. India has recently requested the return of some of these objects, marking just the beginning of a larger movement.

The Kohinoor diamond, set in the Maltese Cross at the front of Queen Elizabeth's crown I Source: NPR

The British Museum, the largest museum in world history, attracts millions of people each year. It holds over 8 million historical and cultural artefacts from all around the world, spanning 2 million years of human history. Among its noteworthy pieces is the Rosetta Stone, created in 196 BC in Egypt, and a bronze sculpture of the Hindu god Shiva from India. However, a hidden problem plagues the museum, as examples illustrate. Almost half of the fourteen artefacts mentioned have ownership disputes. According to the British Museum, these items belong there for everyone to see. However, many nations, including India have been fighting to repatriate these artefacts to their original countries in recent years. The fate of these cultural artefacts, whether they are returned to their native nations or remain in Western museums, remains a topic of immense debate.

The British Empire began its global expansion in the late 1600s, ultimately becoming the largest empire in history. With a fifth of the world's people and land under its control, it grew to be the biggest empire in history. The British Empire stole valuable resources and money from nations all over the world throughout its centuries-long control, along with thousands of pieces of cultural and historical heritage. The British Museum was established in 1753 and continuously expanded to accommodate all the additional pieces in its collection.

However, the contested artefacts are the source of this issue; from the Kohinoor diamond to the bronze statues of Buddhist or Hindu deities.

All of them were made in India. Starting in the 1500s, it was a prosperous and productive kingdom that created hundreds of items and works of art. Many of the objects were utilised in religious rituals and to decorate palace walls. But they were more than just ornamental; they served as visual records of the kingdom in a culture that did not yet have written scripts in the conventional sense. They narrated the political and social history of the kingdom, as well as their past. However, the country would lose hundreds of these cultural artefacts throughout the colonial era. The East India Company's plunder included the practice of forcibly removing valuables from defeated regions. These British officers were traders who went around ruthlessly plundering the areas they had taken over. They returned with the valuables and sold them there. Many of the jewels from India were moved to England under the pretence of greater preservation when the British government later assumed control of India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspecting the artefacts repatriated from Australia I Source: Hindustan Times

India made an effort to alter that in May 2023. India is preparing a campaign to repatriate colonial-era artefacts, including the contentious Kohinoor diamond and other idols and sculptures housed in UK museums. Although the British Museum has previously ignored all requests, it has made its position known by claiming that it is constrained by a government act that forbids it from returning artefacts. The museum claimed in a 2020 report that while they don't restitute, they are devoted to lending as broadly as they can. The British Museum claims to be a true library of the world because of its range, scale, complexity, and unification.

The British Museum continues to conduct itself in a colonial manner. But some are now beginning to take this past into account. Glasgow hosted a ceremony in 2022 to formally return cultural relics from India that were stolen under British colonial control. However, the British Museum is home to hundreds of other controversial items with a similar history that their original owners are attempting to claim. The issue, however, is much worse than the British Museum. It's a recurring legacy of colonial power that dates back many centuries. These requests concern more than simply material things; they also concern ownership of cultural and historical identity.