After 62 years, a stolen ancient Buddha statue returns to India

New Delhi, April 25: In a major development, an 8th-century bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, which was robbed from the Nalanda Museum and smuggled to Western countries in the early 1960s, now has been returned to the Indian Consulate in the United States.

 

The statue of Buddha Shakyamuni was handed over to the Indian consulate during the restitution event that took place last week in San Francisco, USA.

 

The sculpture of Buddha Shakyamuni, also known as the Bodhisattva Maitreya, is made of gilded copper alloy. This is the second Nalanda Buddha that has been returned to India, following the one in London in 2018.

 

These statues were robbed from India’s Nalanda Museum and smuggled to Western countries in the early 1960s. On August 22, 1961, and again in March 1962, the Nalanda Museum was looted. In 1961, fourteen bronzes were looted. The repatriation of the first Nalanda Buddha took place in a magnificent ceremony in London on August 15, 2018, and was applauded by activists battling illegal artifacts trafficking.

 

 

According to S Vijayakumar of India Pride Project, the case was another key triumph in their battle against illicit antiquities trafficking and continuous cooperation with Homeland Security agencies and agents. This specific case has perplexed India since 1961, and the LACMA had been looking for definitive evidence since the 1970s.

 

Vijayakumar stated, "We worked with Sanjeev Sanyal and Dr. Biswas for old documentation of the case and proved the theft. Based on our matching agent Chad Fredrickson of Homeland security, we launched an investigation which has finally resulted in this victory. "

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