New Delhi: A metal statue of Sridevi from the Chola period and a terracota female figure dating back to the Mauryan era are among the 24 antiquities the Modi government has brought home from abroad since 2014 when it came to power.
Of the 24, including a statue of Bahubali and a Nataraja, 16 were brought back from the US, five from Australia and one each from Canada, Germany and Singapore, the Archaeological Survey of India said in reply to an RTI query.
The antiquities were “voluntarily returned” by the countries between 2014 and 2017, it said. The ASI did not give details on how these antiquities, representing pieces of India’s priceless heritage, were taken away.
Senior government officials said the government was emphasising on bringing back antiquities stolen from India through diplomatic channels. The list of antiquities that have made their way home from the US includes the statue of Sridevi from the Chola dynasty belonging to Tamil Nadu and a metal image of Bahubali. Besides, the US has returned the following: a sandstone male figure in Tribhanga posture, a sandstone bust of a female, a sandstone broken figure, a stone image of Durga, a damaged sandstone image of Nataraja, a mutilated sandstone panel depicting two male figures (vidhyaadharas), and stone images of a couple, it said.
Australia has returned a Buddha, a panel of devotees of Buddha, a stone image of Pratyangira and statues of Nataraja and Ardhanareeswar.
