Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
ADVT 
International

Australia To Return Stolen 1,800-Year-Old Buddha Statue To India

Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Jul, 2016 12:08 PM
    An 1,800-year-old Buddha statue which was displayed in the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) is being prepared for its return to India, after it was found to have been purchased from an illegal antiquity trafficker, authorities said on Friday.
     
    The second-century statue stands at 1.3 metres tall, and was purchased from Asian art specialist Nancy Wiener by billionaire Ros Packer, on behalf of the NGA, in 2007, Xinhua news agency reported.
     
    However documents revealed that NGA staff simply accepted Wiener's story of how she came to be in possession of the antiquity, unaware that it was in fact stolen from an archaeological site in Mathura, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradhesh.
     
    NGA director Gerard Vaughan told News Corp on Friday that the sculpture would likely be returned to Indian government officials when they visit Australia for an Indian cultural festival in September.
     
    "There is a high-level delegation coming in September so we're investigating whether that will be the moment of hand over," Vaughan said.
     
    "Or (we) simply come to an agreement with India, because it is no longer our property, whether it can just be sent back to India. "
     
    The condition of the statue was so good that it was initially thought to be a fake, though when experts from the Archaeological Survey of India examined the piece, it was revealed to be genuine.
     
    "One of the reasons was because it's of great age and was in very good condition. Good condition can denote a fake," Vaughan said.
     
    "It was good for them to come back to us and say it was authentic and certainly something that should be returned to India, " he said.
     
    According to Vaughan, the NGA would be reviewing all 5,000 Asian antiquities in its collection due to the "culture" of failing to adequately check the background of its dealers.
     
    The news follows the arrest last month of one of the gallery's main suppliers, Subhash Kapoor, who was charged with illegal trafficking of antiquities.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian Techie's Wife Falls To Death With Baby From Melbourne High-Rise

    Indian Techie's Wife Falls To Death With Baby From Melbourne High-Rise
    Supraja Srinivas and her son Shrihan died on the spot. Their bodies were found in the atrium of the 29-storey City Point apartment building last Thursday.

    Indian Techie's Wife Falls To Death With Baby From Melbourne High-Rise

    Unable To Gain Permanent Residency In Australia, Indian Citizen Commits Suicide

    Unable To Gain Permanent Residency In Australia, Indian Citizen Commits Suicide
    In his mid-30s, Deepak Singh was found dead in his car on July 17, sbs.com.au reported.

    Unable To Gain Permanent Residency In Australia, Indian Citizen Commits Suicide

    Indian Students Make Country Proud At Global Aerospace Competition

    Indian Students Make Country Proud At Global Aerospace Competition
    73 teams across the world participated in the competition this year, held at Burkett, Texas, USA.

    Indian Students Make Country Proud At Global Aerospace Competition

    2 Rescued After Boat Grounds Near Brink Of Niagara Falls

    Police using a boat reached the pair after the winds prevented a helicopter from getting to them.

    2 Rescued After Boat Grounds Near Brink Of Niagara Falls

    Bangladesh Police Deny Any Rescued Hostages In Their Custody

    Bangladesh Police Deny Any Rescued Hostages In Their Custody
    Masudur Rahman, a Dhaka police spokesman, said Saturday that Hasnat Karim, a British national, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student at the University of Toronto, were not in police custody.

    Bangladesh Police Deny Any Rescued Hostages In Their Custody

    Indian Family Has No Money To Bring Kins' Bodies Home From The US

    Swapnil Gavai (34), Chandan's brother, a resident of Kalyan, reached New York in the second week of July and has been desperately approaching all authorities concerned there to let him have the bodies so that he can cremate them.

    Indian Family Has No Money To Bring Kins' Bodies Home From The US