Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott today handed over to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi two antique statues of Hindu deities which were allegedly stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu before being bought by art galleries in Australia.

During his meeting with Modi, Abbott returned the idols, one of which is a Nataraja -- the dancing Shiva -- which belonged to the Chola dynasty of 11th-12th century.

The other sculpture is of Ardhanariswara, which represents Shiva in half-female form, and dates back to 10th century. Both the statues were allegedly stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu and their return was sought by India in March. Returning the sculptures is a testimony to Australia's good citizenship on such matters and the importance with which Australia views its relationship with India, Abbott's office said.

The Nataraja statue, cast in bronze, was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia in February 2008 at a price of $5.1 million from art and antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor who was then based in New York. The Ardhanariswara statue was purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2004 for approximately 300,000 Australian dollar..