• About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Login
NRI Affairs
Youtube Channel
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
NRI Affairs
No Result
View All Result
Home Other

A chance discovery that got a rare idol of Goddess Annapurna back to India after 108 years

NRI Affairs News Desk by NRI Affairs News Desk
December 5, 2021
in Other
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
A chance discovery that got a rare idol of Goddess Annapurna back to India after 108 years
167
SHARES
1.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Advertisements

A statue stolen from India in 1913 is returned to a temple in Varanasi after an artist finds it in the vault of a Canadian art gallery.

A statue of the Goddess Annapurna, stolen from a temple in Varanasi more than a century ago and taken away to a far-off province in Canada, has recently been returned to India. The story of its journey is a fascinating one considering the repatriation may not have happened if an Indian-origin artist had not chanced upon it by accident.

Divya Mehra, a Canadian artist from Winnipeg, was invited to stage an exhibition last year at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in the Saskatchewan town of Regina. So, out of sheer curiosity and interest in museum exhibits, she began to research the collection in the gallery that had been built around the collections donated to the Regina College by a lawyer named Norman MacKenzie in 1936. 

This was when she came across mention of a sculpture thought to represent Lord Vishnu. Piqued about the presence of such a sculpture in a Canadian museum, she began to go through MacKenzie’s papers and discovered how he had stolen the sculpture from a temple on one of his visits to India. 

Alarm bells went off in her head when she saw that Edgar James Banks, known as the inspiration behind the fictional character of Indiana Jones, was known to MacKenzie. Banks have often been accused of selling antiquities to American museums when he was a diplomat posted in Baghdad.  

‘We did not have shoes to go to school’: Dr Rai Kookana’s inspiring journey to becoming one of Australia’s best minds

Divya was subsequently permitted to look at the statue, which was still in the vault. She was sure it was not Lord Vishnu but a female goddess. She needed corroboration from experts to correctly identify it.

“So, I reached out to a few different folks that I know, including a curator at the Peabody Essex Museum, who correctly identified it. I spoke to John Hampton, interim CEO at the MacKenzie, and I requested that the statue be repatriated,” she said while speaking to Artnet News. 

Advertisements

John Hampton, who happens to be the first indigenous leader to be appointed as the executive director and CEO of the MacKenzie Art Gallery, is of the view that “repatriation is essential for museums to move forward,” readily agreed to return the statue to India. 

The statue of Goddess Annapurna was packed up and sent back to Varanasi at the end of November this year. 

Divya was so moved by this discovery; she decided to title her show at the museum “From India to Canada and Back to India (There Is Nothing I Can Possess Which You Cannot Take Away),” which dealt in principle with “the West’s obsession with simultaneously defining and consuming the histories and identities of other cultures”.

The story of how the Annapurna statue was stolen from Varanasi is no less scintillating. Dictated ledgers belonging to Norman Mackenzie tell us how he embarked on world trips in 1913 with his wife after his considerably large art collection was destroyed by a deadly tornado in 1912. He hoped to rebuild his collection with art from all around the world.

A large leather-bound book containing pictures and detailed descriptions of each treasure he collected thereafter tell us about his trip to Varanasi and his discovery of three statues covered in vermillion (sindoor). He instructed a local to steal one of the statues and bring it to him.

 To his horror, the man brought all three. Norman knew it was a serious offence and that he would get into trouble with the British colonial government when it came to their notice, so he took just one and returned the other two back to the temple.

“This is the idol that I saw the people worshipping…and is a good sample of the type of idol which is used by the poorer classes,” MacKenzie wrote in his ledger.

Now that the statue has been returned to the rightful owners after 108 years, the Saskatchewan art gallery is investigating the other 2,000 pieces in its collection, hoping to return more valuable pieces of art to where they came from. 

Share67Tweet42Send
NRI Affairs News Desk

NRI Affairs News Desk

Related Posts

paddy o sullivan rsmlgiahfoU unsplash scaled e1675763470723
Other

When faith actors combine forces with climate activists

February 7, 2023
The Big Short: How Hindenburg Research triggered Adani Group’s price plunge
Other

The Big Short: How Hindenburg Research triggered Adani Group’s price plunge

February 5, 2023
A harmonious convergence of teaching, learning and humanitarian goals – Indian-origin, Australian PM Awardee Ms. Veena Nair sets an example
Other

A harmonious convergence of teaching, learning and humanitarian goals – Indian-origin, Australian PM Awardee Ms. Veena Nair sets an example

January 17, 2023
Next Post
Photo by Qantas

The Flying Kangaroo flies to India: First Qantas Delhi-Sydney flight takes off as Melbourne gets ready

First international students arrive in Australia post-pandemic, next lot to come on December 15

First international students arrive in Australia post-pandemic, next lot to come on December 15

Travelling overseas with an unvaccinated child? Here’s a list of what you could do

Travelling overseas with an unvaccinated child? Here’s a list of what you could do

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Western Sydney Health

How Sydney health professionals expressed solidarity with India

2 years ago
Five measures introduced by the United States to help immigrants

Five measures introduced by the United States to help immigrants

10 months ago
Australia to revise visa and immigration policies amidst growing labour shortage

Australia to revise visa and immigration policies amidst growing labour shortage

2 months ago
CST Mumbai Airport

Departing international passengers made to pay ₹4,500 at Mumbai airport for Rapid RT-PCR tests

1 year ago

Categories

  • Literature
  • Multimedia
  • News
  • nriaffairs
  • Other
  • People
  • Top Stories
  • Uncategorized
  • Views
  • Visa

Topics

Air India Australia california Canada caste CECA COVID COVID-19 cricket ECTA Europe free trade FTA Geeta Germany h1b visa Hindu immigration India india-australia Indian Indian-American Indian-origin Indian Students Khalistan London Melbourne Modi Muslim New Zealand NRI NSW oci quarantine Singapore Sydney travel UAE uk Ukraine US USA Victoria visa women
NRI Affairs

© 2021 NRI Affairs.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Visa
  • Other

© 2021 NRI Affairs.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT