'Stolen' Goddess Annapurna's idol, retrieved from Canada, to be handed over to UP govt today
Annapurna"s idol will reach Varanasi on November 15 where it will be placed at Varanasi"s Kashi Vishwanath Temple after the appropriate rituals
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New Delhi, Nov 11: In a huge development, an idol of Maa Annapurna, stolen from Varanasi around 100 years ago and retrieved from Canada recently, will be handed over to the Uttar Pradesh government, on Thursday at an event in Delhi.
Later in the day, it will now be taken from Delhi to Aligarh. From there it will be taken to Kanauj on November 12 and reach Ayodhya on November 14. Finally, it will reach Varanasi on November 15 where it will be placed at Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath Temple after the appropriate rituals, the release said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will consecrate the idol at Kashi Vishwanath Temple on November 15. It should be noted that the idol is 17 cm in height, 9 cm in breadth and 4 cm in thickness.
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“100 years ago, an idol of Maa Annapurna went missing from Kashi and ended up at a university in Canada. The government of India has received that idol from the university and it is now being given to the state government. It will be placed in Kashi Vishwanath temple on November 15 amid chanting of Vedic hymns,” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on November 3.
The CM highlighted the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to retrieve the idol and bring it home. “It is an occasion for joy and spiritual satisfaction. This statue will be transferred to the state government in a ceremony to be held in Delhi on November 11 which will be followed by its journey in a grand procession from Delhi. It will reach Varanasi on November 14,” Yogi Adityanath said.
According to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, 42 rare heritage artefacts have been returned to the country since 2014 during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Whereas between 1976 and 2013, only 13 rare statues and paintings could be brought to India.
At present, 157 sculptures and paintings have been identified abroad. Discussions are going on with several countries to bring them back to India. Efforts are on to bring idols from Singapore, Australia, Switzerland and Belgium. Efforts are also being made to bring about 100 idols from America.