LONDON, ENGLAND, December 11, 2021 (Indian Express): An ancient Indian statue of a Goddess missing from a temple in Uttar Pradesh, presumed stolen over 40 years ago, will soon find its way back home to India after it was discovered in a garden in a country home in England. The Yogini, which refers to the divine feminine in Hinduism, dates back to the 8th century and went missing from the village of Lokhari in Banda district around the late 1970s and early 1980s. This week, the Indian High Commission in London confirmed that the formalities for the ancient artifact’s return to India are being finalized and it will be restituted in a few months’ time.
Chris Marinello, a lawyer and Founder of Art Recovery International, became aware of the goat-headed sculpture when an unnamed elderly woman in the UK was selling her country home after her husband passed away. “She was selling the home and the contents, which included some very valuable antiques. As part of the due diligence process, we were contacted to research and investigate this artwork found in her garden. She had purchased the house over 15 years ago and this was already in the garden,” explained Marinello. He then contacted Vijay Kumar, Co-Founder of the India Pride Project an organization that works on restoring India’s lost artifacts and he was able to identify the sculpture in the garden as the Yogini missing from Uttar Pradesh.
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ancient-indian-idol-yogini-stolen-england-7668182/