Stolen statue of Hanuman – the Hindu monkey god – makes long-awaited return to Cambodia
The statue was reportedly sold twice in Bangkok – in 1968 and 1972 – before it was taken to the United States.
The United States on Tuesday returned to Cambodia a statue of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, that was looted from the Southeast Asian country decades ago.
At the hand-over ceremony, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said the statue was taken from Prasat Chen temple at the Koh Ker historic site in Preah Vihear province, his body brutally severed from the pedestal.
It was then transported across the border, shipped to Europe and taken to the United States.
“Now, after his long journey, he is finally back in his homeland,” Sok An said.
The statue, which was acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio in 1982, is a 10th-century sandstone sculpture which stands 116cm tall and 54cm wide and depicts the god, with the body of a man and head of a monkey, in a kneeling position.
The statue was reportedly sold twice in Bangkok – in 1968 and 1972 – before it was taken to the United States.
According to Sok An, the Hanuman will join five other Koh Ker statues recently returned from the United States, including the Duryodhana statue from Sotheby’s in New York which decided to settle the case after almost two years of legal battle.