The Idol Wing CID of Tamilnadu Police traced an antique Somaskandar bronze idol belonging to Ekambareswarar temple at Kancheepuram to Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.
Inspector General of Police, Idol Wing CID(IW CID) R.Dhinakaran has formed special teams to investigate the smuggling of idols from temples in Tamil Nadu to abroad. These teams have been tasked with searching websites of foreign museums, private art galleries, and artifact collections to identify stolen idols. During one such investigation, Inspector D. Tamil Selvi located an antique metal Somaskandar idol in the display of the Asian Art Museum in the U.S.
The museum’s website listed the idol’s origin as “Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India,” and dated it between 1500 and 1600 CE. The description also mentioned that “the idol was made of bronze and a long Telugu-language inscription on the front of the pedestal tells the name of the donor (and his father and grandfather) and says that the sculpture was made for the Ekambareshvara (Ekambaranatha) temple in the city of Kancheepuram.
“There were 4 lines inscribed in Telugu language at the pedestal of the idol. It was translated with the help of epigraphy experts. The English translation of the the inscription confirms the connection of the idol with Ekambareswarar temple.” The experts also opined that the international market value of this idol would be around ₹8 crore and the language and characters found in the idol belong to 18th century CE.
Mr. Dhinakaran said, ”Based on the findings of our officer, a case was registered under the provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act and Antiquities and Art Treasures Act on Tuesday. ADSP P.K. Prakash was assigned as the investigating officer. The investigation aims to find out all the accused involved in the smuggling of this Somaskandar idol to the U.S. and to ensure the idol’s early return to Tamil Nadu. The Idol Wing CID is also probing whether more idols from the same temple were similarly smuggled abroad.”
Published - October 01, 2024 08:31 pm IST
