The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing was able to stop the auction of a 500-year-old idol that was stolen from the state. The idol was about to be auctioned off in a popular French auction house, Christies. According to the Director General of Police (DGP) of the Idol Wing, this was the first time they were able to stop an auction even before it took place. Reports say that the idol was supposed to be auctioned for a price between 2,00,00 to 3,00,00 Euros (around Rs 1.76 crore to Rs 2.64 crore).

According to IANS, the Idol Wing had informed the Tamil Nadu government, which took up the issue with the union government. Subsequently, the union government had contacted the French authorities through the Indian embassy in Paris. Speaking to media persons, the DGP said that the Idol Wing had established communication through diplomatic channels to prevent the auction.

The 500-year-old Nataraja idol belongs to Sri Kothanda Rameswara Temple at Kayathar in Thoothukudi district and was stolen in 1972. The bronze idol, according to the Archeological Survey of India authorities, belongs to the Vijayanagara period (15th to 16th century).

Upon identifying that the idol was being auctioned, the Idol Wing officers cross-checked the images of idols at the Indo-French Institute, Puducherry, and found that the images of the stolen idol and on the records of the institute were similar. A senior official of the Tamil Nadu idol wing told IANS that after it was established that the stolen Nataraja idol and the one that was being presented for auction were one and the same, it communicated to the Tamil Nadu government which in turn contacted the Union Home Ministry and took the matter further ahead.

(With IANS inputs)