Why in News?

• About 26 repatriated Indian antiquities will be exhibited and displayed in the national capital in order to spread awareness on the prevention of illicit trafficking of antiquities.
• Among the antiquities displayed, the “Parrot Lady of Khajuraho” sculpture was a major attraction.

Parrot Lady of Khajuraho:

• The “Parrot Lady of Khajuraho” is a 900-year-old sandstone sculpture.
• This is a three-foot-long sculpture that is exquisitely carved and depicts a lady with a parrot near her right ear which symbolises love.
• A few historians believe that the “Parrot Lady” may have been the queen of Khajuraho portrayed as the majestic ‘Abhisarika’ or cupid-struck lady, always engaged in conversation with her pet parrot.
• The sculpture was smuggled from Delhi to Canada (Toronto) and was brought back to India from Canada in 2015 in accordance with the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is the nodal agency for dealing with antiquities and about 244 stolen or missing artefacts have been repatriated to India to date.