Close X
Thursday, November 7, 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

    The 'Untouchables' Of Yemen Caught In Crossfire Of War

    The 'Untouchables' Of Yemen Caught In Crossfire Of War
    They live in shantytowns on the outskirts of cities, are often refused schooling and work menial jobs like shoe-shining or street cleaning or turn to begging. Other Yemenis have traditionally called them the "Akhdam," or "servants."

    The 'Untouchables' Of Yemen Caught In Crossfire Of War

    Pakistan Sees Jihad As Low-cost Option To Bleed India: Husain Haqqani

    Pakistan Sees Jihad As Low-cost Option To Bleed India: Husain Haqqani
    Prosecution of jihadis in Pakistan is difficult as the system considers them to be "the good guys", according to Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former envoy to the US.

    Pakistan Sees Jihad As Low-cost Option To Bleed India: Husain Haqqani

    Earthquake Of Magnitude 5.6 Jolts Japan

    Earthquake Of Magnitude 5.6 Jolts Japan
    The quake struck at 9:23 p.m. local time at a latitude of 36.0 degrees north and longitude of 139.9 degrees east, Xinhua reported. 

    Earthquake Of Magnitude 5.6 Jolts Japan

    New Website Helps Germans And Migrants Meet, Talk About Life

    New Website Helps Germans And Migrants Meet, Talk About Life
    Thousands of migrants were pouring into Germany every day, but the 36-year-old startup consultant from Berlin hadn't met a single one of them.

    New Website Helps Germans And Migrants Meet, Talk About Life

    Indian Descent Congressman Ami Bera's Re-Election At Risk By Father's Illegal Financing

    Indian Descent Congressman Ami Bera's Re-Election At Risk By Father's Illegal Financing
    The 83-year-old father of Ami Bera, the only Indian descent Congressman, has pleaded guilty to illegally funding his son's election campaigns with at least $260,000. putting at risk his reelection in November.

    Indian Descent Congressman Ami Bera's Re-Election At Risk By Father's Illegal Financing

    Canadians Sought After Man Shot Seven Times In The Head In Dubai

    Canadians Sought After Man Shot Seven Times In The Head In Dubai
    Dubai's police chief, Maj. Gen. Khamis Mattar al-Mazeina, said the victim "used to carry an Iranian passport and then had a Turkish one."

    Canadians Sought After Man Shot Seven Times In The Head In Dubai