Efforts would be made to get back from private collectors and museums abroad the scupltures and artefacts which were stolen or illegally taken out of the country, Union minister Salman Khurshid has said.
Terming the return of the sculpture, 'Yogini Vrishanana', from France a "big success", External Affairs Minister Khurshid today said "we have to ensure we get back from abroad our ancient sculptures and artefacts, which are the symbols of India's civilisation."
Khurshid and Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch today inaugurated an exhibition, 'Return of the Yogini', at the National Museum to mark the safe return of the sculpture to India.
Khurshid said there were a lot of problems in getting back the artefacts, not least of which was to ensure they were genuine. He also stressed on the need for curbing theft of and illegal trade in such artefacts.
Katoch hailed the return of the sculpture as a success and said all efforts would be taken to protect such artefacts.
The sculpture of Yogini Vrishanana, weighing 400kg, landed in France and was acquired by art collector Robert Schrimpf.
Later, in 2008, his wife Martine informed the Indian Embassy in Paris about her desire to donate the sculpture back to the country.
Katoch, during her visit to France earlier this year, came to know about it and asked the National Museum to bring it back. The sculpture was safely brought to India last month.
The sculpture was stolen from a Yogini temple at Lokhari village in the Mau sub-division of Banda district of Uttar Pradesh between 1983 and 2008.
The Yogini temple at Lokhari, being an unprotected site, was identified as an important historical place after the discovery of the sculptures.
It was confirmed that the tradition of esoteric forms of worship was prevalent in that region in the 10th century BC. Yoginis are a group of powerful female divinities associated with the tantric mode of worship.
