A stolen 9th century stone idol with carvings of all ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu began its journey back home to be reinstalled in Varaha temple in Mandsour, Madhya Pradesh, from where it was stolen six years ago.
A happy Indian Consul-General Neelam Deo and a satisfied Martin D Ficke, special agent in charge of investigation at the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, signed the papers at a brief ceremony on Monday, formally handing it over to India. This was one of the two idols stolen; the search for the other is still on.
Despite its tortuous journey to New York, the 127 cm tall and 71 cm wide idol is in good condition with only a mark at the back from where it might have been chipped off. The recovery was described by Indian and US officials as the 'fruitful' result of coordinated investigations carried out in India and the United States.
"The government and people of India greatly appreciate this gesture of goodwill from the government and people of the United States," Deo said. "
"When someone loots or steals a cultural artifact from a country, that country loses a part of its identity and its heritage. Today, we are able to return the Varhaha idol to the government and people of India and restore a part of its cultural heritage that had been stolen from her," Ficke commented, as he signed the papers.
