Some of the valuables were returned to India during a ceremony at the Consulate General of India in New York on Monday morning.

India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Consul General Randhir Jaiswal and officials from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office were present at the ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, Sandhu said the 100 antiquities being repatriated to India are "not just art but part of our heritage, culture and religion."

The 105 artifacts represent a wide geographical spread in terms of their origin in India - with 47 from Eastern India, 27 from Southern India, 22 from Central India, 6 from Northern India, and 3 from Western India, an official release said.