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    Illustrated Talk – The Role of Photo Archives in Restitution of Cultural Property on 28 March 2025 at 4.30 pm

    Date: 28th March 2025
    Venue: INTACH Multipurpose Hall, 71, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi
    Time: 4.30 pm IST
    Live streaming
    YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/live/j7QAu71dVuQ

    Dear Friends,

    We are delighted to invite you to the Illustrated Talk on 28th March in the Multipurpose Hall,
    INTACH, New Delhi.

    The global art market’s increasing shift toward private sales and the removal of past auction records present significant challenges for tracking and reclaiming looted cultural heritage. However, historical photo archives, combined with modern digital tools like Google 360 Street View, have emerged as crucial instruments in restitution efforts.

    This presentation will explore how photographic documentation—from colonial-era surveys to institutional archives—has been instrumental in identifying and recovering stolen artifacts. The India Pride Project (IPP), co-founded by Vijay Kumar, has been at the forefront of this movement, leveraging extensive image archives and open-source intelligence to trace
    looted Indian antiquities. IPP has played a pivotal role in several high-profile restitutions, including the 12th-Century Nalanda Buddha (London): Stolen from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) site museum in Nalanda in 1961; The 8th-Century Nalanda Buddha (LACMA); A bronze Buddha Shakyamuni, stolen from the Nalanda Museum in 1961 and several others which will be covered in the talk.

    S. Vijay Kumar is a heritage activist, researcher, and co-founder of the India Pride Project (IPP), a globally recognized initiative dedicated to tracking and facilitating the restitution of looted Indian antiquities. After spending 15 years in Singapore, where he played a crucial role in uncovering international smuggling networks, he is now based in India, continuing his efforts to combat cultural heritage crimes and advocate for stronger provenance research.

    Vijay has been instrumental in the identification and recovery of several high-profile stolen artifacts, including the Vriddachalam Ardhanari, Sripuranthan Nataraja, Toledo Ganesha, the Nalanda Buddhas (London & LACMA), and the Punnainallur Nataraja (Asia Society, USA).

    A regular speaker and columnist, Vijay has worked closely with global law enforcement agencies such as Interpol, Europol, the CBI, and Indian Customs (DRI). His contributions have been acknowledged in United Nations reports and at the Unite for Heritage Conference (Yale, UNESCO). He is also the author of The Idol Thief, which chronicles the dark underworld of antiquities trafficking.

    Join us for tea after the event.