Close X
Friday, November 29, 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

    Violence Follows Donald Trump's California Rally, About 20 Arrested

    Violence Follows Donald Trump's California Rally, About 20 Arrested
    Dozens of cars — including those of Trump supporters trying to leave — were stuck in the street as several hundred demonstrators blocked the road, waved Mexican flags and posed for selfies.

    Violence Follows Donald Trump's California Rally, About 20 Arrested

    Sunita Williams, Team To Ensure Safe Cargo Flights To ISS

    Sunita Williams, Team To Ensure Safe Cargo Flights To ISS
    Indian-born NASA's commercial crew astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams and her colleagues have successfully tested a new generation of training simulators that will prepare them for launch, flight and returns aboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.

    Sunita Williams, Team To Ensure Safe Cargo Flights To ISS

    India Writes To Britain For Vijay Mallya's Extradition

    India Writes To Britain For Vijay Mallya's Extradition
    After having revoked his passport last week, India on Thursday wrote to Britain seeking the extradition of liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

    India Writes To Britain For Vijay Mallya's Extradition

    Will Seek India's Help To Address 'unstable' Nuclear-Pakistan: Donald Trump

    Trump's remarks came during a town-hall meeting in Indianapolis in response to a question on how he would deal with countries like Pakistan, which has sometimes "double dealt" with the US. 

    Will Seek India's Help To Address 'unstable' Nuclear-Pakistan: Donald Trump

    Chinese Varsity Expels Indian Students Involved In Stabbing Clash

    Chinese Varsity Expels Indian Students Involved In Stabbing Clash
    The Indian embassy in Beijing has dubbed the conduct of the students as "unacceptable".

    Chinese Varsity Expels Indian Students Involved In Stabbing Clash

    Islamic State Militants Hurl 'Gay' Man To His Death In Syria

    Islamic State Militants Hurl 'Gay' Man To His Death In Syria
    IS militants executed an allegedly homosexual man in eastern Syria by pushing him off a hospital roof, a monitoring group reported on Thursday.

    Islamic State Militants Hurl 'Gay' Man To His Death In Syria