Australia today returned to India three sculptures, including a third century rock carving, which were stolen and smuggled out of the country.
Arts Minister Mitch Fifield handed over artefacts -- Seated Buddha, a 900-year-old stone statue of Goddess Pratyangira and a third century rock carving of Worshippers of Buddha -- to Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma at Canberra-based prestigious National Gallery of Australia (NGA).
Receiving the artefacts, Sharma said that the gesture of returning art pieces has taken the relationship to a new level as the artworks carried an emotional value for India.
"Our sincere thanks to government of Australia and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister 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," Sharma said, adding that the artworks will now be placed in National Museum in India.
The NGA had bought the artefacts allegedly from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor in 2005. Kapoor is currently lodged in Trichy Central Prison.
"This is the ethical demonstration of NGA...This process in which Indian and Australian governments are working together is a testimony of quality and health of the bilateral relations," Fifield said, adding there were at least seven more objects in questions which the NGA is currently probing.
The ceremony was also attended by Indian High Commissioner Navdeep Suri. The ceremony took place in the gallery which houses almost 5,000 pieces of Asian art.
Last year, the NGA research team examined new photographic evidence from the French Institute of Pondicherry that indicated a sculpture of Goddess Pratyangira which was bought for USD 247,500 was in India in 1974.
This contradicts the dealer-supplied provenance, suggesting the NGA was supplied with false documentation and it was likely to have been illegally exported from India. It is believed that the work has now been reported missing to the Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police, NGA said.
The Buddha carving was bought for USD 595,000 and the NGA was provided with and had verified new photographic evidence that indicates the sculpture was in India as late as 1990s.
"This new evidence means the NGA cannot legally or ethically retain these works, and returning them to India is unquestionably the right thing to do," NGA Director Gerard Vaughan said.
In 2014, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi two antique statues of Hindu deities which were stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu before being bought by art galleries in Australia.
In June this year, the US had returned over 200 cultural artefacts estimated at USD 100 million to India.
Meanwhile, Sharma also met Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Keith Pitt MP and discussed various bilateral issues of mutual interest.
Sharma, who is on an official visit to Australia from September 18 to September 20, yesterday attended an event in connection with 'Confluence-the Festival of India' at the iconic Sydney Opera House.
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