Antique Buddha sculpture seized from Attari termed 'rarest of rare'

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 11

A stone sculpture of Buddha that was recovered from a foreign national at the Land Customs Station, Integrated Check Post (ICP), Attari, turned out to be the rarest of rare antiquity belonging to 2nd-3rd century CE.

The antique stone sculpture was seized by the Amritsar Customs Preventive Commissionerate officers in September. The matter was brought to the notice of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) office in Chandigarh on suspicion of it being a prohibited item, falling under the ‘antiquity’ category.

Rahul Nangare, Commissioner of Customs (P), Amritsar, said a report received from the ASI had testified that the sculpture fragment appeared to be Buddha of the Gandhara School of Art and tentatively datable to 2nd or 3rd century CE.

“A passenger of foreign nationality, who arrived in India via ICP, Attari, in September, was detained at the passenger terminal. During examination, a stone sculpture of Buddha was seized from his baggage. Investigation is under way and action under the relevant Acts is being taken,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Archeological Survey of India mentioned that the coins belonged to various historical eras — Maharaja Ranjit Singh period, Indo-Greek coins of Azelises tenure, square coin of Apollodotus, coins of Akbar, Jahangir and Humayun and British era with Victoria Empress bust.

Ancient coins seized in 2017 and 2018

• In previous instances of seizures of antiquities at Land Customs Station, Attari Rail, 262 ancient coins were seized from a passenger in May 2017
• Sixty-five ancient coins were seized from a passenger in September 2018
• Some of these coins have been put on a display at the National Museum of Customs and GST in Goa

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