Stolen over 20 years ago, three-feet-tall bronze idols of Lord Ram, Lakshman and goddess Sita of Vijayanagara period are now back from the United Kingdom to their home in Tamil Nadu.
Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Prahlad Patel on Tuesday virtually handed over the artifacts to the Tamil Nadu Government at the headquarters of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) here. The statues were stolen from the Vishnu Temple at Nagapatinnam in 1978. They were restored to the Indian Government after a collector voluntarily offered to hand it back on discovering their true history.
The unnamed collector, who had acquired the statues in good faith, was informed about their dubious provenance by the London Met Police. On September 15, London Metropolitan Police handed over the statues to the High Commission of India, London after they were recovered.
Patel praised the positive role played by the ASI, especially over the last six years, in getting back the masterpieces of the country’s cultural heritage.
In August last year, the High Commission of India, London, was informed by India Pride Project that four antique idols of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman, were stolen from a temple built in Vijayanagara period in Tamil Nadu and smuggled out of India, may be to the United Kingdom.
Forty-three of the 56 artifacts that have been restored after India’s Independence were handed during the NDA Government, as per the ASI.