The Recently Retrieved Idol of Goddess Annapurna to Begin itsJourney on November 11 for its Rightful Place at Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi

Key Highlights:

• The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) received the murthi of Goddess Annapurna Devi on 15th October and it will be placed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
• Sri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER,  will also participate in the Ayodhya Deepotsav programme on 3rd November .

The idol of Goddess Annapurna which was retrieved from Ottawa, Canada and has been received by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on 15th October,will begin its journey on 11^th November for its final resting placeat the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.Giving this information, the  Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNERhas stated that he will interact with  media on 3^rd November , 2021 at the residence of Shri Yogi Adithyanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to give details of the journey of idol of Goddess Annapurna and highlight the efforts made  to retrieve and bring home the idols and antiquities from various countries under the leadership of the Prime Minister.

Since 1976, 55 idols have been returned to India.  75% of the idols that have been returned were done so during the tenure of Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi .Out  of the 55 antiquities, 42 were returned after 2014 with the Annapurna Devi being the last addition to this.

The idol will be taken from Delhi to Aligarh on the 11th November, from there it will be taken to Kanauj on the 12th of November and reach Ayodhya on 14th November. Finally, it will reach Varanasi on the 15th November where it will be placed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh after the appropriate rituals.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has not only made efforts to help retrieve these antiquities but personally carried them back with him during his official tours abroad. The recent success is because of our continuous cultural relations with various countries of the world and the warm personal relations which the Prime Minister shares with other heads of the countries. This is an active step to appreciate and acknowledge the historical past of our country. Our murthis are India’s heritage. The Ministry of Culture is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs to repatriate the antiques which hold heritage value and have local importance. The faith and confidence in people from whom their ancestral heritage was taken will be reimposed.