London, June 1 (IANS) Britain expects India to shortly ask yet again for the return of its artefacts allegedly looted during the colonial period and now showcased in various British museums.
According to The Independent newspaper, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is compiling a list of the stolen riches before launching a ‘diplomatic and legal campaign’ for their restitution from institutions, including the British Museum, the Royal Collection and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Among the items quoted by the newspaper from the list are the 2.3 metre-tall bronze Buddha statue, excavated from Sultanganj in India’s Bihar state and which now resides in Birmingham, and Amravati railings, a series of limestone carvings dating from around 100 AD and acquired from a Buddhist temple in Andhra Pradesh by Victorian explorers.
Also on the list are the Kohinoor diamond that sits at the heart of a crown made for the Queen Mother as the last empress of India.