Retired Inspector General of Police A.G.Ponn Manickavel alleged that idols, stone pilasters, old inscriptions of a temple near Kancheepuram, which apparently existed during the pre-Independence period, had gone missing.
After filing the complaint with the Baluchettichatram police, Mr. Manickavel said the temple, ‘ Nindru Arulina Perumal Uyyakonda Alwar’, which was built by Paranthaka Chola in 1071 AD in Govindavadi village, had disappeared now. The existence of the temple was documented by European epigraphists during the pre-independence period.
Later, the temple was in a state of utter disrepair due to poor maintenance. The stone inscriptions, pillars and pilasters were allegedly moved by officials of those time but they were not restored yet. The base of the sanctum sanctorum, over 100 stone idols were stolen. The officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department have not yet lodged a complaint about those antiquities and their status is not known, Mr. Manickavel alleged.
He said the top officials of Idol Wing CID should take up the investigation and unearth the facts in this regard.
Published - December 15, 2022 09:26 pm IST
