India threatens colonial ‘reckoning’ for Britain

India will ask Britain to return legendary treasures taken from the country during the colonial era.

The primary goal of officials in New Delhi is to secure the return of the Koh-i-Noor diamond – one of the crown jewels currently held in trust for the king – along with thousands of other artifacts that were collected by imperial powers hundreds of years ago. explorers brought to Britain.

India’s foreign diplomats will undertake the mission – which they call a ‘discount’ with the past – which is regarded as the largest repatriation claim facing the UK, according to The Telegraph.

Recovering historical artifacts is a key goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The issue is likely to disrupt diplomatic talks between the UK and India on issues such as trade.

An 11th-century Hindu statue of Shiva as Nataraja (Lord of Dance) is pictured at the Royal Academy of Arts in central London, 7 November 2006. Bronze sculptures, revered as physical manifestations of the Hindu gods, are currently on display at the Royal Academy of Arts

Buddha’s footprints (Buddhapada), c. 2nd/3rd century. Artist unknown

Secretary of India’s Ministry of Culture Govind Mohan said the retrieval of artifacts would play a key role in India’s foreign policy.

He said: ‘It is of enormous importance to the government. The impetus for this effort to repatriate India’s artifacts stems from the personal commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made it a high priority.”

A branch of the ministry of culture, the Archaeological Survey of India, will take the lead in recovering artifacts traded from the country since independence.

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has already been approached about a bronze statue recovered from a temple in South India.

But it is New Delhi officials who will be coordinating the push for the return of artifacts taken during British rule.

A gem-encrusted gold finial of Tipu Sultan’s octagonal gold throne, the Tiger of Mysore, at London’s Bonhams, where it will go under the hammer on October 7 as part of the Indian and Islamic art sale

Indian journalist NS Shergill views a throne from the court of Ranjit Singh, circa 1820, decorated with richly worked sheets of gold, at the exhibition entitled ‘Maharaja: The Splendor of India’s Royal Courts’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum, central London , Wednesday October 7, 2009

Lord Harihara idol in the British museum, London

The process by diplomats in London to make formal requests to institutions to return ‘spoils of war’ during colonial rule will start this year.

The 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond once sat atop the peacock throne of the Mughal emperors. It was owned by Indian rulers before being handed over to the East India Company and then given to Queen Victoria after the annexation of the Punjab.

The jewel has graced Queen Mary’s Crown, but was not displayed at the coronation last week.

The return of the historically significant artifact would be “deeply symbolic,” according to ministerial circles in New Delhi.