Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Two rare and ancient sculptures from Madhya Pradesh have been selected for display at the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum in New Delhi's Central Vista, set to become the world's largest museum.
The selected artefacts include a 4th-century figure of Lord Kartikeya and an 11th-century depiction of Yajna Varaha.
Under the Central Vista redevelopment project, a special gallery dedicated to ancient Indian sculpture is being created within the North and South Blocks.
Following a proposal from the Union Ministry of Culture, the Madhya Pradesh government granted formal approval, initiating administrative preparations to transport these masterpieces to New Delhi.
Preserved at the State Museum in Bhopal, the rare two-armed (dvibhuja) statue of Lord Kartikeya dates back to the 4th century (Gupta period) and was excavated from Gajendra Ghat in Mandsaur.
Carved in a standing pose (sthanaka mudra), its right arm is partially broken, while the left arm clearly holds a rooster (kukkuta). In 2013, this historic sculpture represented India at the international exhibition "The Body in Indian Art" in Brussels, Belgium.
The second selected treasure, housed in the Vidisha District Archaeological Museum, is a 10th- 11th-century sandstone sculpture of Yajna Varaha recovered from the Kewatan River near Sonari village in Vidisha.
In 2023, it was featured at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai during the global exhibition "Ancient Sculpture: India, Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome", where it served as one of only two masterpieces selected from India and remained on display for 11 months.
Joint Director, Directorate of Archaeology, Archives, and Museums, MP, Manisha Sharma said that following the proposal from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the state government agreed to loan both sculptures.
A team from Delhi will soon arrive to evaluate and manage the logistics of safely transporting the artefacts, though the exact duration of their display in Delhi is yet to be finalised, she added.
