Museums abroad are increasingly confronting the legacy of looted cultural heritage in their collections, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has become the latest institution to act. On Wednesday, the museum announced it will return three sculptures to India after rigorous research revealed the sculptures had been removed illegally from temples in Tamil Nadu.The sculptures ‘Shiva Nataraja’ (Chola period, ca. 990), ‘Somaskanda’ (Chola period, 12th century) and ‘Saint Sundarar with Paravai’ (Vijayanagar period, 16th century) are examples of the rich artistry of South Indian bronze casting.The Indian govt has agreed to place the ‘Shiva Nataraja’ on long-term loan. This arrangement will allow the museum to publicly share the full story of the object’s origins, removal and return. It will be on view as part of the exhibition ’The Art of Knowing in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas.’As part of a systematic review of its South Asian collections, the National Museum of Asian Art undertook a detailed investigation into the provenance of the three sculptures, scrutinizing each work’s transaction history.

In 2023, in collaboration with the Photo Archives of the French Institute of Pondicherry, museum researchers confirmed that the bronzes had been photographed in temples in Tamil Nadu between 1956 and 1959. The Archaeological Survey of India subsequently reviewed these findings and affirmed the sculptures had been removed in violation of Indian laws. "The National Museum of Asian Art is committed to stewarding cultural heritage responsibly and advancing transparency in our collection," said museum director Chase F Robinson.The Shiva Nataraja belonged to the Sri Bhava Aushadesvara Temple in Thanjavur district, where it was photographed in 1957. The bronze was later acquired by the National Museum of Asian Art from Doris Wiener Gallery in New York in 2002. A researcher at the museum determined that the Doris Wiener Gallery had provided falsified documentation to facilitate the sale to the museum. The Somaskanda and Saint Sundarar with Paravai was part of a gift of 1,000 objects. Research showed that it was from the Visvanatha Temple in Alattur village, Mannarkudi taluk, and the Saint Sundarar with Paravai at the Shiva Temple was from Veerasolapuram village, Kallakuruchchi taluk.