India News | 1,200-year-old Buddha Statue Finds Place in Govt Office in Kolkata

Kolkata, Sep 18 (PTI) A 1,200-year-old Buddha statue found in West Bengal's Purulia district earlier this year will be temporarily kept in the storeroom of a state government office in Kolkata.

With this, the total number of retrieved artefacts in the possession of the office of Administrator General and Official Trustee of West Bengal has reached 40,000, the administrator general and official trustee, Biplab Roy, told reporters here on Monday.

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The statue of the Buddha head with half-closed lips and open eyes is approximately 1,200 years old and belongs to the transition period of Gupta-Pal dynasty, Roy said quoting experts.

"This head of the statue was found buried at Manbazar area in Purulia district. Following an order by the Archaeological Survey of India, the district magistrate handed it over to us. We have consulted experts including the history department of Calcutta University and the sculpture looks similar to the Sarnath School of Art," Roy said.

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He said the department with the state government and Calcutta High Court's support is scouting for land to set up a state judicial museum in a prime location in the city.

"We have plans to set up at least two divisions, which are likely to open by 2024," he said.

Asked about future initiatives, Roy said, "We are likely to get possession of another 17-18 ancient statues currently lying at the government mahafej khana at Khatra in Bankura district. We are also in the process of taking possession of centuries old palm-leaf manuscripts from Purba Bardhaman district and scientifically restore them."

He said on September 22, damaged photographs from 1870 to 1920 and restored by his department will be displayed at an exhibition in the historic Town Hall.

Named "The City Of Kolkata And Its Life", the three-day exhibition will have rare works like a full-scale top-angle black and white photo of the Writer's Building (old secretariat). The exhibition will be inaugurated by Mayor Firhad Hakim.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)