A stolen sculpture of Lord Hanuman belonging to the Chola Period has been retrieved from Australia and handed over to the Idol Wing of Tamil Nadu, according to information provided by the Union Ministry of Culture today.

The sculpture of Lord Hanuman was stolen from a Vishnu Temple, Shri Varatharaja Perumal, Pottaveli Vellur in Ariyalur district. It belongs to late Chola Period (14th -15th century) and was documented by “French institute of Pondicherry” in the year 1961.

The sculpture was handed over to the High Commissioner of India in Australia’s capital Canberra.  The idol was returned to India in the last week of February and handed over to Idol Wing, Tamil Nadu as a case property on April 18.

Government of India is working towards safeguarding the country’s antiquarian heritage within the nation and instrumental in retrieving antiquities which were unlawfully taken abroad in the past. Till date 251 antiquities have been retrieved back from different countries, out of which 238 have been brought back since 2014.