US returns three stolen sandstone sculptures
Thursday, 16/01/2014
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=92000&boxid=58137&uid=&dat=2014-01-16
New York : Three stolen antique sculptures valued at over $1.5 million have been returned to India by the US in an ‘excellent’ display of bilateral cooperation following a month-long row over the arrest and indictment of an Indian diplomat here.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) handed over a ‘Vishnu and Lakshmi’ sandstone sculpture, ‘Vishnu and Parvati’ sandstone sculpture and a black sandstone Bodhisattva to India’s Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay.
The sculptures were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate, incidentally the former office of diplomat Devyani Khobragade arrested on December 12 on visa fraud charges.
Two of the three artifacts returned to India were reported in 2009 by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which notified the Indian Consulate about two sandstone sculptures stolen from the Gadgach Temple in Atru, Rajasthan.
The 350-pound ‘Vishnu and Lakshmi’ sandstone sculpture dates back to the 11th or 12th century and was listed as number six on INTERPOL’s top 10 most wanted works of art. A 600-pound ‘Vishnu and Parvati’ sandstone sculpture was also stolen from the temple.
The third artifact depicting a Bodhisattva is believed to date back to the 11th or early 12th century from either Bihar or Bengal.
The repatriation ceremony, attended by HSI Executive Associate Director James Dinkins and Interpol Washington Director Shawn Bray, started with the playing of Indian and American national anthems.
When asked if there was any connection between the timing of the ceremony, given the month-long tensions between the two countries over the arrest and indictment of Khobragade, both US and Indian officials said the ceremony had been on their calendars for a long time.