According to reports, as many as six bronze idols from Chola-era were found in museums abroad. The idols went missing from the Veeracholapuram Shiva temple in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu probably more than five decades ago.
While heritage enthusiasts helped trace idols of Shiva and Parvati to the Cleveland Museum of Art, those of Saint Sundarar with wife Paravai have been showcased in the Freer Gallery of Art, both in the US.
A Nataraja idol and a Shiva Vinadhara Dakshinamurti idol were auctioned by Christie’s, probably in the 2000s. According to archaeologists, the bronzes have left the Indian shores in 1960s.
Based on a complaint filed by a Chennai-based advocate Elephant G Rajendran, Tamil Nadu idol wing CID registered a case of idols missing from the Villupuram temple on May 10. Reportedly, only if the Indian government formally writes to the museum authorities, further steps can be taken to get back the idols.
(Representative image)
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