India is set to help Greece pressure the UK to hand over the Elginian Marbles, along with other countries whose items were taken by foreign powers.
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India will hold the presidency of the G20 group of powerful nations this year and plans to use the role to pressure former colonizers to return artifacts taken during their imperial era.
It came as the country plans to pressure the UK to hand back thousands of treasures it claims were looted from its territory during centuries of colonial rule.
India's diplomatic effort to recover items linked to India is centered on the Koh-i-Noor diamond, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world. The Koh-i- has been in the crown jewels of the British Royal Family since 1849.
The argument is tense and controversial. Some UK museums are not legally allowed to hand over items from their collection, while many commentators argue that the true provenance of some items – such as the Koh-i-Noor – is disputed or that they were obtained legally.
Others also argue that some items were obtained through legal means, even if they were obtained during a period of colonial occupation.
However, India plans to be the voice for countries "under colonial appropriation," the Telegraph reported.
Lily Pandeya, joint secretary of India's Ministry of Culture and the country's cultural leadership for the G20, said: “We will seek a consensus among nations, and as the G20 is the most influential forum, to achieve tangible results.
"We can be a voice at that table for other nations that are dealing with these issues."
He also said: “During our presidency, we want to be champions of the global South, those countries that are so strongly affected by heritage-related issues such as trafficking, and that were formerly under colonial appropriation. "
The Elginian Marbles were taken from the Parthenon by the British Lord Elgin in the nineteenth century and are now kept in the British Museum. Greece has pushed to restore them to their original context in Athens, but so far has been unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, India's own “clearing of the past” – focusing only on the artefacts it claims for itself – would be the biggest attempt at repatriation the UK has faced.
The push comes from the top of the Indian government and is one of the priorities for Narendra Modi, the country's prime minister.
Efforts to return the treasures could even affect trade talks between the UK and India.
Govind Mohan, secretary of India's culture ministry, said the return of the treasures would be a big part of the country's political agenda.
He said: “It is of huge importance to the government.
"The impetus for this effort to repatriate India's artifacts comes from the personal commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has made it a top priority."
Mr Modi said in a speech this year: “We have a wonderful history of about 2,000 and 5,000 years. This cut off (colonial rule) has done us a lot of damage.
"After independence we should have come out of this mentality, but unfortunately it had trapped the nation like everything else. They consider our historical pride to be enslaved. I believe that if we do not feel proud of our heritage and culture, we will not feel the urge to preserve it.
Indian officials believe the return of these treasures could help forge a stronger national identity.
Ms Pandeya said earlier: “Antiquities have both physical and intangible value, they are part of the continuum of cultural heritage, community and national identity.
"By stealing these artifacts, you steal that value and break the continuity of knowledge and community."
Oxford's Ashmolean Museum has already been approached about the return of a bronze idol taken from a temple in southern India. The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum will also deal with claims for Indian artefacts, as well as charities such as the National Trust.
Some museums in the UK are bound by law not to give away any of their artefacts. Charities do not face the same constraints.
India is not the only country to lay claim to the Koh-i-Noor. The governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran also said the diamond belonged to their respective countries.
Meanwhile, the UK claims the diamond was legally acquired in an 1846 treaty.
The diamond is in the Queen Mother's crown, which Queen Camilla he didn't wear at the coronation of King Charles so as not to upset India.
*Cover photo: India wants to be an ally for all victims of 'colonial appropriation'. Image: Getty
Source: lbc