Australian PM returns 11th century stolen idols from Tamil Nadu to Modi

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[h=1]Australian PM returns 11th century stolen idols to Modi[/h]
September 05, 2014 20:04

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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott today handed over to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi two antique statues of Hindu deities which were allegedly stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu before being bought by art galleries in Australia.

During his meeting with Modi, Abbott returned the idols, one of which is a Nataraja -- the dancing Shiva -- which belonged to the Chola dynasty of 11th-12th century.

The other sculpture is of Ardhanariswara, which represents Shiva in half-female form, and dates back to 10th century. Both the statues were allegedly stolen from temples in Tamil Nadu and their return was sought by India in March. Returning the sculptures is a testimony to Australia's good citizenship on such matters and the importance with which Australia views its relationship with India, Abbott's office said.

The Nataraja statue, cast in bronze, was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia in February 2008 at a price of $5.1 million from art and antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor who was then based in New York. The Ardhanariswara statue was purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2004 for approximately 300,000 Australian dollar..



Australian PM returns 11th century stolen idols to Modi

 

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Tamil Nadu village eagerly awaits the return of the Lord Nataraja idol from Australia!

Return of the Nataraja

R. Rajaram


http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...the-nataraja/article6384683.ece?homepage=true

PTI Prime Minister Narendra Modi explains the story behind the Nataraja idol to his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott.





The villagers are waiting with hope for the iconic piece to be brought back to the temple from where it was stolen.


The news of the return of the 1,000-year-old bronze Nataraja idol of the Sripuranthan temple has gladdened the village in Ariyalur district.
The villagers are waiting with hope for the iconic piece to be brought back to the temple from where it was stolen.


“We feel immensely happy. We have got back our priceless property which we lost years ago,” said S.S. Jei Suda, a resident of Sripuranthan and chairman of the T. Palur panchayat union.


“It was a brilliantly crafted and rare idol,” recalls G. Ravanan, 65, a resident of Sripuranthan. He had seen the idol when it would be taken out in a procession during the Thiruvathirai festival.


The whole village felt distressed when it was stolen a decade ago. In fact, the residents then felt that there was no point in staying in the village any longer, he said. “When we hear that the stolen idol is being handed over to the country we have no words to express our delight,” he said.


“The idol should be given back to the village and installed in the temple with proper safety measures so that pujas could be performed to it once again,” says Ms. Sudha.
“We will feel doubly happy if the idol is returned to the temple,” says R. Ulaganathan, also a native of Sripuranthan and district secretary of the Communist Party of India. He urged the State government to arrange for security measures in the temple once the idol was brought back.


There is a sense of elation among investigators who made painstaking efforts to trace the idol and bring it back to the country. “We feel happy that our sustained efforts have borne fruit,” says a police officer attached to the Idol Wing CID handling the case. In all, eight idols were stolen from the temple.