The National Gallery of Ireland has formally returned a 12th-century bronze sculpture of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara to the Indian government. The artifact, a masterpiece of Pala Dynasty metalwork, was stolen from a shrine in Bihar in the early 19th century and has been in the museum's collection for decades.
The repatriation is part of a growing international movement to return looted cultural heritage to its places of origin. The sculpture was welcomed with a ceremony in Patna and is set to be the centerpiece of a new gallery dedicated to the artistic legacy of the Magadha region.