Australia has today handed over to India three ancient artefacts stolen and smuggled out of India and inadvertently acquired by National Gallery of Australia. Minster of Communications and Arts Senator Mitch Fifield today formally handed over the artefacts to India's Culture minister Mahesh Sharma.The returned artefacts are Seated Buddha, Goddess Pratyangira and Worshippers of Buddha.
Australia had also in September 2014 during the PM's visit, returned the statue of 'Dancing Siva' to India.
The Seated Buddha is a Kushan period (2nd Century BCE-3rd Century CE) artefact. The sandstone artefact was purchased by the NGA from the Nancy Weiner Gallery in New York in 2007. The Goddess Pratyangira- a granite artfact of Chola period (9-13th Century) was bought by the NGA from the arrest art dealer Subhas Kapoor in 2005. Its provenance was traced to the Sri Vriddhachalesvara temple in Tamilnadu. The worshippers of the Budhha, again sourced by the NGA from Subhas Kapoor in 2005, is a 3rd Century limestone artefact traced back to the Stupa of Chandavaram in Andhra Pradesh.
"Our sincere thanks to Government of Australia and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister Mitch Fifield and the National Gallery of Australia for the gesture of returning these three antiquities, which will carry a big message of the relations between two countries", Dr. Mahesh Sharma said after the handing over the artefacts.
"This is the ethical demonstration of National Gallery of Australia This process in which Indian and Australian governments are working together is a testimony of quality and health of the bilateral relations", Minister Mitch Fifield stated.
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