Close X
Monday, November 25, 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

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan Bans Tube Ads That Promote Unhealthy Body Image

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan Bans Tube Ads That Promote Unhealthy Body Image
    LONDON — Advertising that promotes an unhealthy body image will be banned on London's subway network, in a move that signals a backlash against suggestive marketing in public places.

    London Mayor Sadiq Khan Bans Tube Ads That Promote Unhealthy Body Image

    Obama: Anti-Muslim Rhetoric From Trump 'Not America We Want'

    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says anti-Muslim rhetoric from presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is "not the America we want."

    Obama: Anti-Muslim Rhetoric From Trump 'Not America We Want'

    Raw, Painful Words From Abusive Men Featured In New Domestic Violence Campaign

    Raw, Painful Words From Abusive Men Featured In New Domestic Violence Campaign
    Halifax police have thrown their support behind a new, hard-hitting campaign that uses raw, unsettling statements from abusive men to spread a powerful message about how to stop domestic violence.

    Raw, Painful Words From Abusive Men Featured In New Domestic Violence Campaign

    Beheading Of Canadian Hostage Draws Outrage But No End In Sight For Abu Sayyaf

    Beheading Of Canadian Hostage Draws Outrage But No End In Sight For Abu Sayyaf
    With a black Islamic State group-style flag as a backdrop, Abu Sayyaf fighters beheaded Canadian hostage Robert Hall on southern Jolo island on Monday after a ransom deadline passed. 

    Beheading Of Canadian Hostage Draws Outrage But No End In Sight For Abu Sayyaf

    Donald Trump Says He Is Revoking Washington Post Credentials

    Donald Trump Says He Is Revoking Washington Post Credentials
    Trump wrote on his Facebook page, "Based on the incredibly inaccurate coverage and reporting of the record setting Trump campaign, we are hereby revoking the press credentials of the phoney and dishonest Washington Post."

    Donald Trump Says He Is Revoking Washington Post Credentials

    EU To Target Internet As Part Of Counter-Radicalization Plan

    EU To Target Internet As Part Of Counter-Radicalization Plan
    Interior Affairs Commissioner Dmitris Avramopoulos said Tuesday that the internet is "our most important battleground" against radicalization.

    EU To Target Internet As Part Of Counter-Radicalization Plan