Goddess Annapurna idol may likely to return till December this year, know the Mythological histroy of Annapurna Idol

Goddess Annapurna has a special place in Indian culture and traditions. The nature of Goddess Annapurna explains the importance of food. It is said that those who have the grace of Goddess Annapurna never lack food, wealth, and splendor.

An idol of Goddess Annapurna that was stolen from the Kashi Vishwanath temple and smuggled to Canada over 100 years ago was on Thursday handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Government.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has re-installed Goddess Annapurna at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple now the devotees can easily worship the goddess.

Last year, when Winnipeg-based artist Divya Mehra was invited to stage an exhibition at the gallery, she began to research the collection, which was built around a bequest from lawyer Norman MacKenzie in 1936.

One sculpture thought to represent Lord Vishnu struck her as female; it was holding a bowl of rice. Looking into records, she found that the same sculpture had been stolen from an active temple in 1913 and acquired by MacKenzie.

Mehra spoke to John Hampton, interim CEO at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, and requested that the statue be repatriated. The Gallery agreed. After reading about the discovery of the stolen statue, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa and the Department of Canadian Heritage reached out and offered to assist with the repatriation.

According to the information received, the idol of Goddess Annapurna dates back to the 18th century and is made of sandstone from Chunar. The goddess has a pot in one hand and a spoon in the other.

The idol is expected to land in Delhi in the middle of December this year.

The PM has said the statue will be back in the Kashi temple.