France returns head of Harihara statue after 130 years

OMG OMG! They get the head back after 130 years!

IndiaToday.in New Delhi, 21 January 2016

A stone sculpture of Harihara, a deity that combines aspects of Vishnu and Shiva, was returned by France to Cambodia.

The head of the statue was reattached to its body on January 21, 2016 and is kept for display at a museum. It was spirited away nearly 130 years ago. 

The statue apparently was created in the 7th century and was taken from the Phnom Da temple in southern Takeo province by French researchers in 1882 or 1883.

The reattachment of the head at the National Museum was attended by 200 government officials, representatives of foreign government, ambassadors and officials from the Guimet Museum.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An welcomed the reunification of the head and the torso of Harihara. "According to our Khmer culture, the reunion is symbolises prosperity," he said. 

Sok An also appealed to other countries that hold Cambodian artifacts to return them. 

The Cambodian law prohibiting the removal of cultural artifacts without government permission only came in 1993. So, it is difficult to compel the owners abroad to return them as there is no legal standing.

Ghar Wapsi of other artifacts

- Last year, Cambodia got back two stone statues from the Angkor period that were looted during the country's civil war and taken to Europe.

- 9th century old sculpture of Shiva's head and a late 12th century's male divinity head were also handed over by Norwegian collector Morten Bosterud.

- In June 2014, three 1,000-year-old statues based on Hindu mythology were brought back to Cambodia.

The reason behind Cambodia having a major Hindu influence is it was ruled by Hindu kings for centuries. It was also the main religion of the country for many years before it was replaced by Buddhism.