Chennai, Oct 2 (Representative) An Antique Bronze Idol of Lord Somaskandar valued at around Rs.8 crores and belonging to Lord Ekambareeswarar Temple in Kanchipuram has been traced at Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA, by the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID Police. After the idol was traced to US, a case was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under Antiquities and Art Treasures Act on Tuesday. An Investigating Officer headed by an ADSP was appointed for further investigations, arrest all those accused in the case to ensure idol’s early return to Tamil Nadu. A press release from Idol Wing (IW) CID on Wednesday said under the guidance of IG IW CID Dr.R.Dhinakaran, IGP, IW CID and under the direct supervision of Dr.R.Sivakumar, SP, IW CID, special teams were formed to investigate the illegal 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 Ms.D.Tamil Selvi of the North Zone, Idol Wing CID, located an antique metal Somaskandar idol in the display of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA. 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 Kanchipuram”. 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 inscription confirms the connection of idol with Ekambareshwarar temple, Kanchipuram. The verbatim translation of the above inscription said “Records the gift of 11 images to the temple of Ekabbaresvara by Venkkatrama-Nayani, son of Vellakondama-Nayani and grandson of Raghava-Nayani of Tonddamanddalam.”
The experts also opined that the international market value of this idol would be around Rs. 8 crores and the language and characters found in the idol belong to 18th Century CE. Based on the findings of Inspector Tamil Selvi, a case was registered in the Idol Wing CID Under Secs 331(1), 305(d), 336(1), 336(3), 340, 317(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act (formerly IPC) and Sec 25(1) of Antiquities and Art Treasures Act yesterday. 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 USA 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. Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu Shankar Jiwal commended the officers of the Idol Wing CID for this excellent work.