Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott gifted a Nehru Jacket made of famous Australian wool to Prime Minister Narendra Modi while the Indian PM gifted Abbott a book on yoga.
Abbott also handed Modi the two antique statues of lord Shiva, which were stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu before being bought by art galleries in Australia. India had requested the Australian Government's help in bringing them back. These idols, one of Natarajam belonging to the Chola dynasty of 11th-12th century and other Ardhanariswara, of 10th century, were purchased by the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in February 2008 at a price of $5.1 million and Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2004 for approximately $280,979, respectively from art and antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor who was then based in New York.
In 2012, Kapoor, owner of the "Art of the Past" gallery in New York, was arrested in Germany and subsequently extradited to India. He is accused of conspiracy to commit burglary and smuggling from Tamil Nadu antique idols of Hindu deities belonging to Chola dynasty.
"I would like to convey to Prime Minister Abbott the deep sense of gratitude of 1.25 billion people of India for the efforts he has made to bring with him two ancient statues that were stolen from India. The moment we had conveyed our request for the return of these statues, his government took this decision with great speed. Prime Minister Abbott and the people of Australian have shown enormous respect and regard not only for our ancient treasure, but also for our cultural heritage," Modi said.