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

    Pakistan: Sikh Politician Sardar Sooran Singh Killed By Rival For Party Ticket, Say Police

    Pakistan: Sikh Politician Sardar Sooran Singh Killed By Rival For Party Ticket, Say Police
    Baldev Kumar, a Swat district councilor and minority leader of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was arrested by the police for his alleged role in the murder of Dr Sardar Sooran Singh, also of the same party.

    Pakistan: Sikh Politician Sardar Sooran Singh Killed By Rival For Party Ticket, Say Police

    Hearing Begins In Halifax For Challenge Of Incompetent Persons Act

    Hearing Begins In Halifax For Challenge Of Incompetent Persons Act
    Landon Webb is challenging the province's Incompetent Persons Act, arguing that it infringes on his rights and freedoms.

    Hearing Begins In Halifax For Challenge Of Incompetent Persons Act

    Small Number Of Muslims Backing Donald Trump See Past His Bluster

    Small Number Of Muslims Backing Donald Trump See Past His Bluster
    As a Donald Trump supporter, Nedal Tamer feels he's in the minority among Muslim-Americans, comfortable with his choice yet somewhat confounded that he doesn't have more company.

    Small Number Of Muslims Backing Donald Trump See Past His Bluster

    Hillary Clinton Slams Donald Trump For 'Mocking' Indian Accent

    Hillary Clinton Slams Donald Trump For 'Mocking' Indian Accent

    Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's campaign has slammed her Republican ri...

    Hillary Clinton Slams Donald Trump For 'Mocking' Indian Accent

    Watch: Donald Trump Uses Indian Accent To Mock Outsourced Call Centre, But Says The Place Is 'great'

    Watch: Donald Trump Uses Indian Accent To Mock Outsourced Call Centre, But Says The Place Is 'great'
    Never the one to shy away from putting things bluntly, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has expressed his displeasure at India's outsourcing industry by impersonating a call centre representative in India.

    Watch: Donald Trump Uses Indian Accent To Mock Outsourced Call Centre, But Says The Place Is 'great'

    China Fumes As Dissident Uyghur Leader Gets Indian Visa

    China Fumes As Dissident Uyghur Leader Gets Indian Visa
    China had blocked a ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar in the UN, preventing him from being put on the UN terror list

    China Fumes As Dissident Uyghur Leader Gets Indian Visa