A virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Soctt Morrison scheduled on June 4 is also likely to witness the latter handing over online the exquisitely carved stolen artefacts, including two Nayak period dwarapalas or temple gate guardians and a 6th or 7th Century serpent king (Nagaraja) of Rajasthan/Madhya Pradesh, stolen from India.
The Australian Government had earlier planned to return the three antiquities of cultural significance during the official visit of Morrison to India in January early this year. But the plan went for a toss, first owing to forest fires in Australia followed by the Covid-19 pandemic which has brought the world on its knees.
Sources in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said that the three culturally significant artefacts, a pair of ‘Dwarapala’ (door guardians), dating back to 15th century, are from Tamil Nadu. The ‘Nagaraja' (serpent king), belonging to 6th or 8th century from either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, was at display at National Gallery of Australia. It had reportedly purchased them from idol smuggler Subhash Kapoor.
However, extensive research undertaken by the Gallery prompted it to voluntarily return these artefacts to India. “We are expecting the Australian leader to virtually handover the idols to our Prime Minister Modi when they have a virtual meeting on June 4. After that, we will send the two Dwarapalas to Idol wing of Tamil Nadu which has registered a theft case in the matter while the Serpent King will be handed over to a museum in Red Fort,” the sources said.
In September last year, a 600-year-old Nataraja idol worth Rs 30 crore which was stolen 37 years ago from a temple at Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district, Chennai, Tamil Nadu was returned to India by Australia. The two and a half feet 16th-century idol which was kept in the gallery in Adelaide, Australia for 17 years was traced a year ago.
Three years ago, Australia had returned three artefacts, including an idol of goddess Pratyangira, stolen from a Shiva temple in Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu. In 2014, then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had returned two statues of Nataraja and Ardhanariswarar stolen from temples in the state.
Both India and Australia are a party to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transport of Ownership of Cultural Property.