Ahead of polls, 18th century Goddess Annapurna idol makes ceremonial return to Varanasi

Ahead of the assembly elections next year, the Uttar Pradesh government is taking the idol in a procession across 18 districts

An 18th century idol of Goddess Annapurna, smuggled to Canada from the Kashi Vishwanath temple in 1913, has embarked on a ceremonial journey back home at a time when Uttar Pradesh is set for a high voltage election campaign around Hindutva and development issues.

The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath which is on backfoot on handling of Covid-19 and farmers' protests, has upped the ante against the opposition for ignoring Hindu interests and has been juxtaposing this with the commitment of BJP towards the revival of temples and honouring religious icons such as Adi Shankaracharya.

The idol of Annapurna, measuring 17 x 9 x 4 cm, was brought back to India last month and is currently on a procession across 18 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Ayodhya, the epicentre of Hindutva politics of BJP.

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Adityanath will install the idol in the Kashi Vishwanath temple premises in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday amid much fanfare and appropriate rituals.

The re-development of Kashi Vishwanath precincts is also high on the agenda of the Modi government and is likely to be unveiled at a gala event next month.

After the ceremonial handover of the Annapurna idol to the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday, a flower-bedecked vehicle carried it from Delhi to Aligarh from where it was taken to Kannauj on Friday.

The idol is expected to reach Ayodhya on Sunday and make its way to Varanasi on Monday.

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Annapurna is worshipped as a goddess of food and nourishment and a manifestation of Goddess Parvati. The legend has it that Lord Shiva had sought alms from Annapurna to ensure that no one goes hungry in Kashi.

Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “relentless pursuit” for ensuring the return of Indian artefacts that had been smuggled to foreign countries over the years.

“I would like to thank our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our Minister for External Affairs Shri S Jaishankar who made efforts to bring home our Gods from abroad,” Reddy said, adding that 157 more antiques will be brought back to the country soon.

The Annapurna idol was in the University of Regina’s collection at its Mackenzie Art Gallery when it was handed over by the university to India’s High Commissioner to Canada Ajay Bisaria last year.

Since 1976, 55 idols have been returned to India, out of which 42 were returned after 2014 when the Modi government came to power, Reddy said.

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