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

    FBI Head Suggests Agency Paid More Than $1m To Access iPhone

    FBI Head Suggests Agency Paid More Than $1m To Access iPhone
    WASHINGTON — FBI Director James Comey hinted at an event in London on Thursday that the FBI paid more than $1 million to break into the locked iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers.

    FBI Head Suggests Agency Paid More Than $1m To Access iPhone

    Pakistani Sikh Politician Sardar Sooran Singh Shot Dead

    Pakistani Sikh Politician Sardar Sooran Singh Shot Dead
    He was special assistant to the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on minorities affairs and a provincial assembly member

    Pakistani Sikh Politician Sardar Sooran Singh Shot Dead

    Advocates For Jailed Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Hold Rally In Montreal

    Advocates For Jailed Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Hold Rally In Montreal
    MONTREAL — Amnesty International says Canada needs to enhance its reputation as a defender of human rights and do more to free Raif Badawi.

    Advocates For Jailed Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Hold Rally In Montreal

    Boxing Day For PM In NYC: First With Students' Questions, Then In A Brooklyn Gym

    Boxing Day For PM In NYC: First With Students' Questions, Then In A Brooklyn Gym
    The prime minister fielded a series of questions from students at New York University, some more pointed than others. One student asked how he could justify backing new oil pipelines after campaigning on climate change.

    Boxing Day For PM In NYC: First With Students' Questions, Then In A Brooklyn Gym

    Pennsylvania Fines Uber $11Million For Operating Without Approval

    HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania regulators fined Uber $11.4 million on Thursday — a record for the utility commission — for operating for six months in 2014 without the required approval. The company said it would appeal.

    Pennsylvania Fines Uber $11Million For Operating Without Approval

    Sentencing Hearing Begins For Convicted B.C. Pedophile Known As 'Swirl Face'

    Sentencing Hearing Begins For Convicted B.C. Pedophile Known As 'Swirl Face'
    Christopher Neil, 41, pleaded guilty in December to five charges including counts under Canada's child-sex tourism laws.

    Sentencing Hearing Begins For Convicted B.C. Pedophile Known As 'Swirl Face'