The Union Ministry of Culture formally handed over the Annapurna Devi idol to the Uttar Pradesh government, at a ceremony conducted at New Delhi’s National Gallery of Modern Art on Thursday. On November 15, the idol will be erected at Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath temple.
G Kishan Reddy, Hardeep Singh Puri, Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, General VK Singh, Anupriya Patel, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Meenakshi Lekhi were among the ministers and BJP leaders who attended the event.
The idol which was received by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on October 15 from Canada, is now on its way to Varanasi, where it was created. On November 11, it was transported from Delhi to Aligarh, from there it was taken to Kanauj on November 12 and will reach Ayodhya on November 14. After the necessary rites, the idol will be placed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on November 15.
Around 100 years ago, the idol was stolen from a Varanasi temple and taken out of the country. The 18th-century Annapurna idol is 17x9x4 cm in size and carved in the Benares style.
Also Read: Back home after 100 years! Stolen idol to be reinstalled at UP temple
The monument began its trip back to its homeland last year, with a virtual repatriation ceremony on November 19. The idol was supposed to arrive in Delhi in December 2020, but the Covid-19 outbreak forced a postponement. After careful verification and documentation, a decision on its eventual possession was made. Before returning the idol to the temple trustees, ASI has been entrusted with determining the security arrangements at the statue’s original site.
The government was able to recover 40 such antiques from other nations between 2014 and 2020. Between 1976 and 2014, 13 ancient objects were repatriated to India, according to ASI archives. The restitution of another 75-80 stolen antiquities is in the works but legal processes take time.
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