1,300 Gifts To PM Modi, Including Ram Temple Model, Up For E-Auction
Over 1,300 items gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including an exquisitely crafted statue of Goddess Bhavani, an Ayodhya Ram Temple model and sporting memorabilia from the 2024 Paralympic Games, have been put up for an e-auction.
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The e-auction will run through October 2.
New Delhi:
Over 1,300 items gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been placed for e-auction beginning Wednesday, officials announced. Among the notable items are an intricately crafted Goddess Bhavani statue, an Ayodhya Ram Temple model, and sports memorabilia from the 2024 Paralympic Games.
The seventh edition of this online auction commenced on PM Modi's 75th birthday and will continue until October 2.
According to the PM Mementos website, the Goddess Bhavani statue carries a base price of Rs 1,03,95,000, while the Ram temple model starts at Rs 5.5 lakh.
Culture ministry officials revealed on Tuesday that these two items, along with three pairs of shoes from Paralympics medallists (each with a base price of Rs 7.7 lakh), represent the highest-valued items in the auction.
Additional auction items include a finely embroidered Pashmina shawl from Jammu and Kashmir, a Tanjore painting depicting Ram Durbar, a metallic Nataraja statue, Gujarat's Rogan Art showing the Tree of Life, and a handwoven Naga shawl.
A special feature of this auction is the sports memorabilia donated by India's para-athletes who competed in the Paris Paralympics 2024. These items symbolize the athletes' resilience, excellence, and indomitable spirit, as stated earlier by the culture ministry.
The inaugural e-auction was held in January 2019.
"Since that time, thousands of unique gifts presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been auctioned, generating more than Rs 50 crore in support of the Namami Gange project," the Culture Ministry stated on Tuesday.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh informed reporters on Tuesday that over 1,300 gifts received by the prime minister will be auctioned online. The collection showcases India's cultural diversity, spanning traditional art, paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, tribal artifacts, and ceremonial gifts of honor and respect, according to the ministry.
These items are currently exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA).
As with previous auctions, all proceeds will benefit the Namami Gange project, the Indian government's flagship initiative for the rejuvenation, conservation, and protection of the Ganga river ecosystem.
"The e-auction offers citizens not only a chance to own a piece of history but also to participate in a noble mission -- the preservation of our holy river, the Ganga," the ministry stated.