India Renews Push To Bring Back Bhojshala’s Vagdevi Idol From UK At BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meet

Bhopal, August 7, 2026: India has renewed efforts to bring back the 11th-century Vagdevi idol associated with Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, with the issue gaining prominence at the BRICS Culture Ministers’ meeting in Bhopal.

The renewed push comes nearly three months after the Madhya Pradesh High Court concluded that the religious character of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex was that of Bhojshala, described as a temple of Goddess Vagdevi. The court had also asked the Union government to make efforts to secure the idol’s return from the United Kingdom.

Centre’s Efforts Predate Court Direction

Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal said the Centre had started pursuing the repatriation of the idol nearly a year before the High Court’s direction in May.

“When I joined as Culture Secretary, my batchmate wrote to me, around a year ago, asking that the repatriation process for the Vagdevi idol be initiated. We wrote to the museum (in the UK) where the idol is currently housed. We are making constant efforts to ensure the idol is brought back to Madhya Pradesh,” Aggarwal said on Wednesday.

His remarks indicate that the government’s effort to bring back the sculpture was already underway before the court intervened, while the judgment has added further momentum to the demand.

Colonial-Era Artefacts In Focus At BRICS

The issue has also found a wider platform at the BRICS Culture Ministers’ meeting, which began in Bhopal on August 5 and concludes on August 8.

Member nations are expected to discuss the return of cultural property removed during the colonial era. Officials said discussions are focusing on strengthening cooperation against illicit trafficking of cultural property, facilitating the return of artefacts removed during the colonial period, preserving manuscripts and archaeological records, and developing joint cultural initiatives among member countries.

The discussions place the Bhojshala idol within the larger question of returning cultural objects taken from their places of origin during colonial rule.

India Points To Recent Repatriations

Aggarwal cited India’s recent success in securing the return of antiquities from overseas.

“It is because of these efforts that we were able to repatriate an idol for Tamil Nadu. Efforts are also underway to bring back two other idols belonging to temples in Tamil Nadu,” he said, Indian Express reported.

According to the Culture Ministry, around 650 stolen or smuggled artefacts have been repatriated since 2014, compared with just 13 before that period.

The figures underline the growing importance the government has placed on recovering Indian antiquities held overseas.

India, British Museum Differ On Idol’s Identity

The marble sculpture dates to the 11th century and is linked to the Paramara period. It was removed from Dhar during British rule and is now part of the British Museum’s collection.

India identifies the sculpture as the Vagdevi idol from Bhojshala. The British Museum, however, catalogues it as an image of Ambika from the Jain tradition, discovered in Dhar in 1875 and formally acquired in 1909.

According to the museum’s catalogue, the four-armed deity holds an elephant goad, or ankusha, and the remains of a noose or plant stalk. The sculpture is 1.285 metres tall and weighs an estimated 250 kg.

The museum notes that the sculpture was made by Vararuci, who some scholars identify with Dhanapala, a court poet in King Bhoja’s court.

The differing descriptions of the sculpture’s identity remain significant, particularly as India steps up efforts for its repatriation.

What The High Court Said

In its May judgment, the Madhya Pradesh High Court concluded that the religious character of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque complex was that of Bhojshala, which it described as a temple of Goddess Vagdevi.

Petitioners had also sought the return of the idol of Goddess Saraswati from the UK museum and its reinstallation at Bhojshala.

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The bench noted that several representations seeking the idol’s return had already been submitted to the Union government and said the Centre may consider them.

With the court judgment, the Centre’s ongoing efforts and the issue of colonial-era cultural property now being discussed at the BRICS meeting, the demand for the sculpture’s return has gained renewed attention.

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