Examine the role of the Archaeological Survey of India in the retrieval and preservation of Indian antiquities held abroad.

Q. Examine the role of the Archaeological Survey of India in the retrieval and preservation of Indian antiquities held abroad. (15 marks, 250 words)

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the statutory custodian under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, is the nodal agency operationalising India's post-2014 drive to recover its dispersed heritage — exemplified by the return of the 11th-century Chola copper plates by Leiden University Library in May 2026 [1][2].

Role in retrieval - Nodal receiving authority: ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, is the designated recipient of repatriated antiquities, taking custody of the 24 Chola plates (21 large + 3 small) inscribed in Tamil and Sanskrit [1][2]. - Establishing provenance: ASI documents and authenticates origin, enabling provenance-based claims aligned with the UNESCO 1970 Convention (India ratified 1977) and the domestic Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 [3]. - Diplomatic partner: it anchors the technical side of cultural-cooperation tracks, as reflected in the India-Netherlands Joint Statement [3].

Role in preservation - Custody and conservation of returned objects in national repositories under its 1958-Act mandate. - Research collaboration: an ASI–Leiden University Libraries partnership for joint Chola-period research, archival preservation and academic exchange [2]. - Contextualising artefacts as epigraphic sources — the plates record the Anaimangalam grant to a Buddhist vihara at Nagapattinam [1].

Persistent gaps in manpower and a global antiquities database call for a strengthened ASI. Reinforcing its capacity, digitising records and deepening bilateral heritage pacts would let it convert restitution into a durable instrument of cultural diplomacy and civilisational continuity, advancing the constitutional duty (Article 51A(f)) to value our composite heritage.

(~250 words)

Sources: 1. Restitution of Chola Copper Plates (May 16, 2026) — Ministry of External Affairs — ASI as receiving authority; date and details of restitution 2. Leiden University to return Chola Plates to India — Leiden University — plate count, languages, transfer to ASI, joint research and metadata handover 3. India-Netherlands Joint Statement, PM's visit to Netherlands (May 2026) — PIB — return recorded as a cultural-cooperation deliverable