Homeland Security Recovers 9th Century Buddhist Statue In Phoenix

PHOENIX — After being illegally shipped to the U.S. more than 50 years ago, a priceless 9th century Buddhist statue will make its way back home to India, officials said.

Homeland Security Investigations recovered the one-of-a-kind artifact in a Phoenix home after investigating its whereabouts beginning in October 2019, the department said in a news release. Investigators determined that the statue had been purchased abroad and illegally shipped to the U.S. illegally more than 50 years ago.

“Returning stolen cultural artifacts is a great example of the tireless work HSI does to combat
those who seek to profit by plundering history,” Scott Brown, special agent in charge for the
HSI Phoenix Office, said in a statement. “I commend the special agents of HSI for their work on this case. I also want to recognize the private citizens and businesses who proactively cooperated with our investigations, doing their part to contact the authorities to ensure that these historic artifacts are returned to their rightful owners.”

HSI agents received a tip that the statue was in Phoenix and contacted the homeowner, according to the statement. The current owner inherited the artifact from family and had expressed concerns about owning it, according to HSI. She believed it was purchased more than 50 years ago when her family was living abroad. The woman voluntarily agreed to surrender the statue to HSI so that it could be repatriated to India.

Special agents were assisted by a Northern Arizona University Professor of Art History & Asian Studies in identifying the statue. The professor, an archaeologist with a specialty in Asian art, verified that the 500-pound and 3-foot-tall statue is of the Mahayana Buddhist goddess Cundā and is a considered a priceless cultural artifact.

The statue was seized on Jan. 4 and carefully prepared for repatriation to India. It will be housed in a special gallery until it can be returned.