The revered idols of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakhsman, stolen 40 years ago from Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu, are all set to reach its origin soon. According to experts, these 15th-century idols believed to from the time of the Vijayanagara empire have been handed over to India by the British government.
The information about the stolen idols was ascertained from the British Antique Dealers Association webpage who gave a tip to a volunteer in London which the India Pride Project pursued with London police. It is also learnt that the three idols might be flown to New Delhi and sent to Tamil Nadu.
Hindus have urged the government to prepare an index of statues, idols, artefacts available now along with properties and make a list of missing one from the records and it should be recovered.
In recent times many idols that were stolen from India made its way back. For the west, these idols are antiques with no dispensation towards spiritual awakening. The Panchaloha Lord Nataraja idol in cosmic dance posture that was stolen and smuggled to Australia nearly 40 years ago, was brought back to India recently.
This idol most likely belonged to the Pandian era and it was stolen from a temple in Tirunelveli. The return was made possible due to the efforts of the High Court appointed investigation team led by retired IG of police Pon Manickavel.
Idol trafficker Subhash Kapoor who is in custody right smuggled a 1,045 years old idol valued at ₹2 crores, has also been brought back to Tamil Nadu.
Idols from temples in Tamil Nadu have been systematically stolen and smuggled to western countries under the patronage from greedy politicians.
It is estimated that the British took Indian jewels, armour, and sculptures and our other natural resources, worth $45 trillion. This information was shared by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in his address at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC a year back.
The drive to get back stolen artefacts and idols from Indian temples is led by a group of art enthusiasts who started the India Pride Project. This project is dedicated to bringing back stolen idols from western countries. It first identifies stolen religious artefacts from Indian temples and works towards their return.