The 'Shobha Yatra' (procession) of Goddess Annapurna, which is on its way to Varanasi, reached Kanpur on Saturday.
The idol of the Goddess was received from Canada on October 15 and it will be installed at Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath Temple on November 15.
'Pran pratishtha' of Maa Annapurna's idol is scheduled to be performed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on November 15 in Kashi.
Earlier on November 11, the representatives from the Uttar Pradesh Government received the stone statue from the Archaeological Survey of India after a religious ceremony amid the chanting of mantras.
The idol is 17 cm in height, 9 cm in breadth and 4 cm in thickness.
According to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, 42 rare heritage artefacts have been returned to the country since 2014 during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Whereas between 1976 and 2013, only 13 rare statues and paintings could be brought to India.
At present, 157 sculptures and paintings have been identified abroad. Discussions are going on with several countries to bring them back to India. Efforts are on to bring idols from Singapore, Australia, Switzerland and Belgium. Efforts are also underway for the return of about 100 idols from America.
Maa Annapurna, is considered the Goddess of food and nourishment.
( With inputs from ANI )
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