Ancient Idol, Returned By Canada, To Be Placed In UP Temple: Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that a 100-year-old idol of Goddess Annapurna, handed over by a Canada university to the Indian government, will be installed in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on November 15.

"The 100-year-old idol of Maa Annapurna was stolen from Kashi (Varanasi). It ended up at a university in Canada with the exchange of hands. The Government of India has received that idol from the University," said the chief minister while addressing the media in Lucknow.

"It is now being given to the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the idol will finally be placed in Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi on November 15," he added.

The Ministry of Culture, in an official release on Tuesday, had informed that The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) received the idol on October 15 and it will now be taken from Delhi to Aligarh on November 11.

From there it will be taken to Kanauj on November 12 and it will reach Ayodhya on November 14. Finally, it will reach Varanasi on November 15 where it will be placed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple after the appropriate rituals, according to the release.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy at the press conference in Lucknow.