'Bring back stolen Buddhist statue to Amaravati'

HYDERABAD: In an attempt to pressurise the twin states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to bring back stolen artifacts, the India Pride Project (IPP) urged authorities to bring back an age-old stolen Buddhist sculpture back to Amaravati.
Anurag Saxena, founder and member of IPP, a nationwide private body said a 1,800 year-old stone sculpture, depicting the life of Lord Buddha was stolen from undivided Andhra Pradesh.The sculpture was sold to the National Gallery of Australia for US$ 595,000 in 2005, after which it became a subject of condemnation and dispute within Australia.
After efforts by IPP, media and governments on both sides, this priceless sculpture was handed over to minister of culture Dr Mahesh Sharma in September 2016. Since then it has been lying in a warehouse in New Delhi.
Speaking on the issue, Saxena said, "This is about reclaiming the lost pride of the state and I strongly urge the government of Andhra Pradesh to initiate efforts to bring back this artifact which is lying in a warehouse in New Delhi."
"We should do this to showcase that the AP government can successfully claim what belongs to Telugu people. The state of Andhra Pradesh should raise a formal request to Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and reinstate this artifact in a grand ceremony around the time of Ugadi." he added.
Apart from AP, many temples in Telangana have fallen prey to bounty hunters. A similar theft happened in Chilkur Balaji temple in the year 2000. "These artifacts are the legacy that our forefathers left for us and that history needs to get back to geography." director of Shankarananda Kalakshetra Ananda Shankar said.