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

    EU Says Permanent Border Checks Would Cost Billions Annually

    BRUSSELS — The European Commission estimates that a permanent reintroduction of border checks in Europe's passport-free travel area could cost up to 18 billion euros ($20.7 billion) a year.

    EU Says Permanent Border Checks Would Cost Billions Annually

    Blasphemy Case Registered Against Six For 'Desecrating' Sikh Man's Turban in Pakistan

    Blasphemy Case Registered Against Six For 'Desecrating' Sikh Man's Turban in Pakistan
    Mahinder Paal Singh (29), a resident of Multan, told that he was travelling from Faisalabad to Multan by a bus owned by Kohistan-Faisal Movers company that broke down near Dijkot

    Blasphemy Case Registered Against Six For 'Desecrating' Sikh Man's Turban in Pakistan

    Dutch Court Recants Refusal To Delay Trial Of Accused In Amanda Todd Case

    Aydin Coban's previous lawyer, Christian van Dijk, still follows the proceedings closely and says his former client's case likely won't go to trial now until after summer.

    Dutch Court Recants Refusal To Delay Trial Of Accused In Amanda Todd Case

    Charge Dropped Against 'Trailer Park Boys' Actor Mike Smith In Los Angeles

    Charge Dropped Against 'Trailer Park Boys' Actor Mike Smith In Los Angeles
    Smith, who plays the character Bubbles on the Canadian cult comedy, was arrested on April 1 after an incident at a Hollywood hotel involving a woman.

    Charge Dropped Against 'Trailer Park Boys' Actor Mike Smith In Los Angeles

    Fears Of Donald Trump Drive Immigrants To Become Citizens

    Fears Of Donald Trump Drive Immigrants To Become Citizens
    Trump, the GOP front-runner, has pledged to deport the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally.

    Fears Of Donald Trump Drive Immigrants To Become Citizens

    Pakistan Slams Donald Trump On Release Of 'CIA Doctor' Shakil Afridi

    Shakil Afridi, who is known in Pakistan as a CIA doctor and has been described as a hero in the US, is serving a 33-year-long jail term for treason.

    Pakistan Slams Donald Trump On Release Of 'CIA Doctor' Shakil Afridi