Idol of Goddess Parvati stolen from temple in Kumbakonam traced to US after 50 years

An idol of Goddess Parvati, which went missing from the Nadanapureshwarar Sivan Temple at Thandanthottam, Kumbakonam, half a century ago, was traced to New York, said the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID on Monday. The idol was found at the Bonhams Auction House, New York, the CID said.

Though a complaint was given to the local police in 1971 and an FIR registered by the idol wing on a complaint from an individual K Vasu in February 2019, the case was pending since then. It received attention only recently after the Idol Wing Inspector M Chitra took up the investigation, started browsing for the Parvati idols of the Chola period in various museums and auction houses abroad.

After a thorough search, she found the idol at the Bonhams Auction house. The copper-alloy idol of the Chola period circa 12 century measures about 52 cm in height and is valued at US$ 212,575 (about Rs 1,68,26,143), a release from the Idol Wing said.

Parvati or Uma as the Goddess is commonly known in South India is portrayed in standing position. She is seen wearing a crown, called a karanda mukuta of piled rings diminishing in size and culminating in a lotus bud.

The patterns in the crown are repeated in the necklaces, armbands, girdle, and garment, embellishing the bronze texture.

According to Jayanth Murali, DGP, Idol Wing CID, his team has readied papers to bring the idol back.