A total of 1,440 ancient objects of India have been handed over to the Indian representative in America. It has been said that among these artefacts and valuable statues coming back are the statue of Tanesar Maa, which was established in Rajasthan, and many statues of dancers in various postures which were stolen from Madhya Pradesh.
The effect of the Modi Government’s diplomacy in America has been seen once again. A large consignment of India’s cultural heritage, stolen from time to time by smugglers and robbers, will soon return to our country and adorn our Mandirs and museums. The value of these ancient objects, statues, and artefacts is said to be more than Rs 84 crore.
These statues and other ancient artefacts, worth one crore dollars in US currency, are going to reach India soon. Manhattan-based US District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. said that these ancient artefacts are cultural assets which have been handed over to Manish Kulhari, a senior official of the Indian Consulate General, in the presence of Alexandra DeArms, supervisor of the art and antiquities group.
According to District Attorney Bragg, these artefacts recovered from several criminal smuggling rackets are valuable. Notorious antique smugglers Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener have also been involved in their smuggling. Bragg said that about 600 of these artefacts are such that they were seized in early 2024.
According to information, among the ancient cultural assets returning to India, a sandstone dancer statue from a Mandir in Madhya Pradesh was stolen in the 1980s. The Tanesar Maa statue carved from layered rock looted from Tanesara-Mahadev in Rajasthan was stolen in the 1960s.
With evil intentions, smugglers cut the dancer’s statue into two parts and smuggled it from London to New York in February 1992. After reaching there, the statue was meticulously assembled. It is said that this statue was then donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Years later, in 2023, this statue was seized by the Antique Transport Unit.
Comments