In a move being touted as historic, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday, the country down under repatriated 29 antiques to India.

PM Modi also inspected the artifacts that included sculptures and paintings, the origins of which can be traced to several corners of India.

The repatriated antiques can be categorized as per themes into six broad categories. They include - Shiva and his disciples, Worshipping Shakti, Lord Vishnu and his forms, Jain tradition, portraits and decorative objects.

Notably, the earliest of them can be dated back to ninth to tenth century CE and belong from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal.

The structures and paintings are made of stone, marble, bronze, brass, and paper.

Over the years, India has brought back several antiquities from other nations. In September last year, 157 artifacts and antiquities from the United States were brought back. US President Joe Biden had also expressed his commitment to strengthening efforts to combat theft, illicit trade and trafficking of cultural objects.