Police In Tamil Nadu Discovered Stolen Idol Of Nataraja To US Museum

The Asia Society Museum in New York, US, has been linked to a stolen antique metal Nataraja idol that was taken from the 2,000-year-old Vedapureeswarar temple in Thanjavur district 62 years ago. S Venkatachalam, 60, of Tiruvedhikudi, submitted a complaint to the idol wing CID police, under the direction of director general of police (DGP) Jayanth Murali, filed a FIR on September 1, 2022.

According to Ventatachalam, the idol was taken from the temple in 1963. Inspector of police R Indira from the idol wing pursued the case. The investigation team went to the Indo-French Institute in Pondicherry to look for authentic photographs. After getting the photographs, the crew looked through catalogues from artefact collectors, auction houses, and various museum websites.