Chennai. The idol of Lord Nataraja, which was stolen 62 years ago from Arulmigu Vedapureeswarar temple in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, has been found in New York, USA. The Murthy Cell of the Crime Investigation Branch (CID) of Tamil Nadu Police gave this information on Monday.
Some thieves broke into the 2,000-year-old Arulmigu Vedapureeswarar temple and stole the idol, which is administered by the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments. On September 1, following a complaint by KS Venkatachalam of Tiruvedhikudi village, the idol cell of the CID launched an investigation and found that the Nataraja idol in the temple was fake and the original idol was missing.
The investigation team then sought the original picture of the idol from the Indo-French Institute in Puducherry. After getting the original picture of the idol, the Idol Cell of CID started searching the websites of various museums, artifact collectors’ brochures and auction houses.
After searching, the team found the original idol of Lord Nataraja at the Asia Society Museum in New York. According to an official release issued by the Idol Cell of CID, efforts are being made to bring back the idol under the UNESCO agreement. After being brought here, the idol will be re-installed in the temple.
It is also being ascertained whether the idols have been stolen from the temple. (with agency input)
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Tags: Tamil Nadu
First published: September 06, 2022, 05:30 IST
