Australian PM returns 11th century stolen idols to Modi

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott handed over two antique statues of Hindu deities to Narendra Modi yesterday.

Narendra Modi and Tony Abbott

They were stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu before being bought by art galleries in Australia. One of them is a Nataraja, which belonged to the Chola dynasty of 11th-12th century.

The other sculpture is of Ardhanarishwara, which represents Shiva in half-female form, and dates back to the 10th century.