The copy of what is touted as the first Tamil translation of the Bible was reportedly stolen from Saraswathi Mahal Library in Thanjavur by foreign visitors after bribing a staff with a few hundred rupees, sources said.
Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, a Danish missionary translated the Bible and printed it in 1715. It was presented to Tulaji Rajah Serfoji by Schwartz, another missionary and a close friend of the king. After the Tamil Nadu government’s takeover, the antiquarian book was displayed at the Saraswathi Mahal Library.
It is one of the oldest libraries in Asia and is situated within the campus of the Thanjavur Palace. The library has on display a rare collection of palm leaf manuscripts and papers, written in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Marathi English and a few other languages.
On October 10, 2005, then Deputy Administrator of the Serfoji Palace filed a complaint at the Thanjavur West Police station, alleging theft of the Bible. However, the case was closed citing it was not traceable. Following a complaint from Elephant G. Rajendran in 2017, Idol Wing CID police re-investigated the case. The special wing also traced the stolen Bible to a collector in London.
A senior officer of Idol Wing CID said, “Our investigation revealed that foreign visitors came to the museum on October 7, 2005, and they attended a function to commemorate Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, the Danish missionary. When they visited the library, one of staff opened the lock and gave away the book after receiving some money as bribe. He has since retired from the service.”
“We are preparing the documents to bring back the book and we have to establish the ownership. Then we have to send it to Ministries of Home and External affairs. They will send it to the High Commission of U.K. It will take a couple of months,” the officer said.
