Chennai: Two antique statues of Hindu deities, allegedly stolen from temples here before being sold to art galleries in Australia, returned home on Thursday.
The statues of Nataraja and Ardhanariswara were handed over by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the former's India visit last week.
The idols were brought here by a government carrier from Delhi and were later taken to the Archaeological Survey of India office, officials said. Officials of the Idol Wing of the state police brought the statues from the national capital.
Both the statues were allegedly stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu and their return was sought by India in March. The Nataraja statue, belonging to the Chola dynasty of 11th-12th century and cast in bronze, was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia in February 2008 at a priace of $5.1 million from art and antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor who was then based in New York.
Ardhanariswara, which represents Shiva in half-female form dates back to the 10th century, was sold to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2004 for approximately 300,000 Australian dollar ($280,979).
Kapoor, owner of the "Art of the Past" gallery in New York, was arrested in Germany and subsequently extradited to India in 2012. He is accused of conspiracy to commit burglary and smuggling from the state antique idols of Hindu deities.
In March, the Ministry of External Affairs had through India's High Commission in Canberra made a formal proposal to the Australian Department of Attorney General by forwarding the request of the Tamil Nadu police for the return of the two idols.
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