On Aug. 15, India marked its 71st Independence day with the return of a priceless Buddha statue stolen from Nalanda, Bihar, almost 57 years ago to the day. The six-and-a-half inch bronze antiquity dates back to the Pala dynasty that ruled over the modern Bihar and Bengal region between the 8th and 12th centuries. It was removed from a museum along with 13 other statues, and Indian authorities’ efforts to trace this valuable hoard had floundered for decades. Then, S Vijay Kumar got involved. Using rare photos of the stolen statues and tapping an international network of fellow antiquities aficionados, Kumar, co-founder of the India Pride Project, was able to eventually track down the Buddha...
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