Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government would renew its efforts with central support to bring back over 600 Buddhist artefacts from museums in London, Chennai, New Delhi and Kolkata to the state.The aim is to place these in the archaeological museum in Amaravati, so as to also conserve and protect them for the benefit of future generations.Recently, the state government at the behest of chief minister Chandrababu Naidu took up the matter with the central department of archaeology. A plea was made to it, to bring the Buddhist artefacts back to the state.State archaeology authorities say that nearly 500 Buddhist sculptures from Amaravati were placed in the government museum in Chennai, about 130 in the British Museum in London, 10 in the National Museum in New Delhi and 10 in the Indian Museum in Kolkata, some time ago.They say that in 2015, Chandrababu Naidu as CM had written to then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj for central support to bring back the Buddhist artefacts from the British Museum. She sent a plea to this effect to the British Museum in 2016. However, the British Museum replied that norms would not allow it to part with these.In 2016, the then TD government also made efforts to get back the artefacts placed in the government museum in Chennai, but it too refused to oblige.It explained that a good number of these Buddhist artefacts were in a delicate state and hence their relocation may involve the risk of causing damage to them.No reply came from the museums in New Delhi and Kolkata.Now that the chief minister has renewed his efforts to develop Amaravati as the capital city, he intends to make a fresh try and get back these precious art pieces of historic importance.As per records, Colonel Mackenzie was the collector of antiquities while serving as an army officer in the British East India Company. He visited the Amaravati area and noticed a huge mound of Buddhist relics.Story goes that Amaravati’s zamindar Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu was involved in dismantling the huge mound and using the mortar for construction work. The colonel explained to the zamindar the importance of the Buddhist relics and subsequently, the best of them have been shifted to London and Chennai for “preservation,” as per historical records.After India won Independence from the British Empire in 1947, no artefact has been taken away from the country, according to historians.
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