Idols from Chola era were stolen over 50 years ago

Tamil Nadu’s idol wing police have discovered that two ancient panchaloha idols of King Raja Raja Chola I and his queen Lokamadevi had been stolen from the world-famous Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur over 50 years ago.

In the complaint registered with Thanjavur West Police Station on Friday, DSP of Idol Wing Venkatraman said the preliminary investigation done by him based on the information provided by former Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment minister VV Swaminathan has revealed that the two idols which are over 1000-year-old had been displayed in the Gautam Sarabhai Museum in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

The two idols were part of the 13 panchaloha idols donated by Poigai Naadu Kizhavan Aadhithan Suriyanagiya Thennavan Moovendha vellan, the chieftain of Kodumbaallur to the temple in the year 995, as per the inscription, the police sources said, adding that the two idols were somehow stolen over 50 years ago. The status of the other 11 idols remain unknown, sources said.

The Inspector General of Police, Idol Wing, AG Ponn Manickavel who was appointed by the Madras High Court to probe temple idol thefts, told reporters that the steps had been initiated to recover the two idols in display in the museum in Gujarat. “The idols …read more