Parrot lady of Khajuraho

Subject : Art and Culture

Section : Architecture

Concept :

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 sculpture

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.