A team of police officials attached to the Idol Wing –CID of Tamil Nadu Police on Thursday seized 90 ancient temple idols from the residence of a businessman at Sree Nagar Colony at Saidapet in Chennai. Pon Manickavel, the Inspector General of Police who led the raid told reporters later that all the idols seized were hundreds of years old and were precious.
“They may cost hundreds and hundreds of crores of rupees and that’s all what we could say now,” said Manickavel, the Madras High Court appointed officer to probe the idol thefts reported from the temples in Tamil Nadu.
“All these idols were stolen from the temples in Tamil Nadu. Besides the 60 ancient and antique idols, we seized 22 pillars, 12 statues and artefacts made of metal,” said Manickavel. The residence belonged to Ranveer Shah, who is engaged in export business.
The police team had to hire three trucks to transport the seized idols and other materials to the investigating office. Shah told the investigators that he sourced the materials from various places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala. He is being questioned by police.
“But he does not have proper documents to prove from where he purchased these antique materials. Whether they are from Puducherry or Kerala, these are all lifted from the temples in Tamil Nadu we will seek the assistance of Archaeological Survey of India and other agencies to identify the idols, pillars and artefacts,” said Manickavel, an officer of proven integrity and honesty.
The seizure of the idols take place at a time when temple worshippers complaining to the Madras High Court that more than 6,000 idols belonging to temples administered by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department have gone missing. The HR & CE Department officials who are entrusted with the upkeep of the temples remained silent as idols started disappearing from the temples.
TR Ramesh, president, Temple Worshippers Society, told The Pioneer that the HR & CE officials could not identify a single idol or artefact when Manickavel and his team seized them from the business premises of Deenadayalan, a Chennai businessman with international dealings in sale of ancient idols.
“We requested the services of Nagasamy, former director of ASI to identify the idols. The robbery of idols and artefacts could be prevented only if theCentral and State Governments formulate laws and art museums abroad stop buying such pieces from unauthorised and shady characters,” said Ramesh.
The HE&CE officials are yet to furnish the details of 50,000 acres of prime temple lands which too went “missing” from Tamil Nadu temples. The Madras High Court had directed the officials to furnish within six months the whereabouts of the temple land which were usurped by politicians and others with the active connivance of the temple officials.
Dr Nagasamy, had told The Pioneer that the pillars which go missing from the temples have inscriptions on them about royal decrees which could throw light into history as well as important social mechanisms prevalent in Tamil Nadu in ancient times.