Indian treasures at home and abroad

Historically significant sites, artefacts and papers in India and the UK should be made accessible to wider audiences

In the first week of August 2021 there were media reports that the National Gallery of Australia located in Canberra had decided to return 14 ancient Indian paintings and sculptures, including a 12th century sculpture of a dancing child-saint called Sambandar. These pieces were smuggled out of India by a former New York art dealer called Subhash Kapoor. The full details about all the treasures, including the peacock throne of Mughal kings, looted from Delhi in March 1739 by Nadir Shah of Persia, may never be available. Comparatively, there is better accounting of Indian art and other valuables acquired by