PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 30 -- A 2,000-year-old stone sculpture depicting the Basanter Jatak tale, currently housed at the Allahabad Museum, has been selected for display at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS). The piece will feature in a three-month international exhibition on ancient excavations beginning next month. The sculpture, excavated from the Kaushambi Buddhist site, will be showcased alongside heritage artefacts from several countries, including Greece, Egypt, Rome, and Assyria, as well as exhibits from the British Museum and the Getty Museum in California. Rajesh Mishra, the deputy curator of the Allahabad Museum, said, "The stone structure is around 2,000 years old and was excavated from a Buddhist site in the neighbouring Kaushambi district. Besantara was an extremely generous prince. Accepting a significant challenge, he donated his wife and children. Buddhists have linked the story of Besantar to Buddha's previous birth," he added. A team of officials from the Mumbai Museum had visited the Allahabad Museum in April to examine the ancient sculpture. The formal procedures for transporting it to Mumbai and returning it safely have been completed. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Allahabad Museum and the Mumbai Museum after seeking permission from the Uttar Pradesh governor, who is the chairperson of the managing board of the museum here. Allahabad Museum's Sculpture Gallery houses around 58 panels from the Bharhut Stupa (2nd century BCE). These include scenes from the Jataka Tales, pillars and stone umbrellas. Among these panels are some messages written in Pali and Brahmi script. Through the stone sculptor, visitors will gain a closer understanding of the beliefs surrounding Buddha's previous births....