Madhya Pradesh Court Identifies Idol in London Museum

Why this is here: The sculpture in question weighs approximately 250 kg and stands around four feet tall, currently residing in the British Museum’s collection under the name of Yakshini Ambika.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court in Indore declared the Bhojshala complex in Dhar, India, a temple of Goddess Vagdevi, also known as Saraswati. The ruling centered on a sculpture excavated in 1875 by Major General William Kincaid during British rule. Hindu petitioners asserted the idol—currently held by the British Museum in London—depicts Goddess Vagdevi.

The British Museum currently classifies the four-foot, 250 kg sculpture as a Jain idol of Yakshini Ambika, a classification supported by curator Michael Willis. However, art historians previously identified it as Raja Bhoja’s Saraswati. The court noted the inscription at the base of the idol references both Vagdevi and Ambika as forms of the same goddess, Saraswati, and acknowledged the historical coexistence of Jain and Hindu traditions in India.

The court did not order the idol’s return but suggested the Government of India consider representations for its retrieval. While the Bhojshala remains a protected monument, the court overturned a 2003 order allowing Muslim prayers at the site. Devotees currently worship with a replica of the original sculpture.