He expressed gratitude to President Joe Biden for the support in returning these artifacts, emphasizing their significance to India's cultural heritage.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on a multiday visit to the United States, where he recently addressed a cultural celebration in Uniondale, New York.

Notable items among the returned artifacts include a sandstone sculpture of Apsara from the 10th to 11th century CE and a fragment depicting a turbaned man with two women and an elephant rider.

The event attracted around 13,000 attendees and was organized by the Indo American Community of USA to celebrate cultural ties between India and the United States.

During his speech, Modi praised the U.S. for returning nearly 300 stolen antiquities to India, adding to the nearly 600 cultural artifacts returned since 2016.

This recent repatriation follows a July agreement between the U.S. and India to protect cultural property and streamline the return process for stolen antiquities.

Since 2016, the U.S. has returned a total of 578 cultural artifacts to India, enhancing cultural understanding between the two nations.

Modi also announced India's dual gold medal victories in both the men's and women's tournaments at the Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary.

He highlighted the significance of 2024 as a year marked by global conflicts and the celebration of democracy, particularly in India and the U.S.

Modi is scheduled to attend a United Nations summit ahead of the upcoming General Assembly.

His New York appearance followed a summit in Wilmington, Delaware, with President Biden and leaders from Australia and Japan, known as the Quad.

The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has not commented on the recent repatriation.