Another stolen Idol returning home! 500-year-old Lord Hanuman idol to be repatriated to India soon
Notably, the idol was built during the period of the Vijayanagara empire and was found in the possession of a private buyer in Australia.
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New Delhi, Feb 24: It is indeed a positive development for India, a 500-year-old idol of Lord Hanuman, which was stolen from Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur district around a decade ago, is going to be brought back to the country. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy was informed about the development.
Notably, the idol was built during the period of the Vijayanagara empire and was found in the possession of a private buyer in Australia. Recently, the statue was returned to Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra at Canberra by Australian Chargé d’Affaires Michael Goldman.
According to the ASI, this idol was burgled along with the Sri Devi idol and Boodevi idol from the Varadharaja Perumal temple in Vellur village in Ariyalur district on April 9, 2012. In March 2014, this idol was auctioned to a buyer in Australia. Upon discovery and consequent investigation, it was found to be the same idol that was stolen from India.
500 year old Lord Hanuman bronze idol stolen from Tamil Nadu temple, to be repatriated back to 🇮🇳
— G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) February 23, 2022
The stolen idol retrieved by US Homeland Security was handed over to @HCICanberra by US CDA
Under the leadership of PM Sh @narendramodi the repatriation of our heritage continues. pic.twitter.com/851HaEkVXG
Following the development, ASI then informed that the Tamil Nadu Police's Idol Wing was assisted by the US Homeland Security. The New York-based auction house, which had auctioned the idol, and the Australian buyer were unaware that the statue was stolen from an Indian temple.
It is worth mentioning that the Indian government has retrieved around 212 artefacts, mainly statues in the last seven years.
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