Washington, Jan. 19 (PTI): Books of stories from the Panchatantra and a collection of Gandhian-era pictures, besides a burgundy rug and a Pashmina shawl were among the items gifted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the US First Couple during his state visit to Washington in 2009.

The Federal Register reported that the most expensive gift from the Prime Minister to President Barack Obama was a collection of books with an estimated value of $3,572.

The books included Stories from the Panchatantra, Ancient Tales of Wit and Wisdom, The Puffin Treasury of Modern Indian Stories, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India and The Gandhi Collection: History in the Making: The Visual Archives of Kulwant Roy.

Speaking in the Central Hall of Parliament during his visit to India last year, President Obama had referred to the Panchatantra’s appeal to a “common humanity”.

“It’s the spirit of the inscription seen by all who enter this Great Hall ‘That one is mine and the other a stranger is the concept of little minds. But to the large-hearted, the world itself is their family,” Obama had said.

Singh gave Obama a burgundy rug with a foliate motif while to Michelle he gifted a beige Pashmina shawl.

All the presents were sent to the National Archives as US law prevents government officials from receiving gifts from foreign governments.