A rare late ninth century stone statue of Lord Shiva that was
stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and smuggled to the UK, will be returned to
the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday.

The four-feet-tall stone Nataraj/Natesha murti, in “chatura pose
with jatamakuta and trinetra” is a rare depiction of Lord Shiva in the
Prathihara style.

The statue was stolen in February 1998 from Ghateshwar Temple in
Baroli, Rajasthan and in 2003, it was found that the statue had been smuggled
out to the UK.

“The UK authorities, on receiving the information, pursued the
case and in 2005 the idol was voluntarily returned to the Indian High
Commission in the UK,” said the High Commission of India in the UK.

A team of ASI experts in 2007 visited the India House in UK and
examined the idol. They confirmed that it is the same statue that was stolen
from Ghateshwar Temple.

An official Indian government communique said that in line with
the government of India’s renewed impetus to protecting India’s cultural
heritage and showcasing it to the world, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
along with India’s law enforcement agencies have been actively pursuing
investigations and restitution of stolen and smuggled Indian antiquities.

As a result, antiquities and idols have been returned to India
from various countries, including the US, Australia, France and Germany.

The High Commission of India (HCI) in London said it has also
been playing a leading role in the successful restitutions and repatriations of
India’s cultural heritage.

Some examples of restitution from the UK include the Bramha-Brahmani
sculpture, which was stolen from India and returned to the ASI in 2017. It has
found a prominent resting place at Purana Quila Museum in New Delhi, in the
gallery curated by the ASI.

On August 15,
2018, a 12th century bronze statue of Bhagawan Buddha was restored to the
Indian High Commission by London’s Metropolitan Police and then handed over to
the Indian government last year.