A 500-year-old Nataraja idol that had been stolen from Tamil Nadu was put up for auction in France.
DGP Jayanth Murali of the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing ended the French auction house Christies from selling the idol. The idol was valued at about Rs 2.64 crore.
The idol wing DGP tweeted when the idol was put up for sale in the range of Euros 2,000 to Euros 3,000 (roughly Rs 1.76 crore to Rs 2.64 crore) “End AUCTION and give it back to us It was taken from India,”.
To stop the auction, the IPS Officer idol wing established communication through diplomatic channels.
The French auction house released a SALE ROOM NOTICE by Tiphaine Nicoul, Head of the department, Christies.com as This Lot Has Been Withdrawn
In his tweet, Jayanth Murali also included the hashtags “Antiquities Coalition” and “Archeological Survey of India,” two organizations that run global campaigns against cultural exploitation (ASI).
The Union Home Ministry was notified as soon as the state government received word from the police, and it immediately raised the matter with the French government via the Indian embassy in Paris.
Jayanth Murali also tagged “Antiquities Coalition” in his tweet that runs an international campaign for cultural protection.
The Nataraja Idol Highlights
- The 500-year-old Nataraja idol was taken in 1972 from the Sri Kothanda Rameswara Temple in Kayathar, Thoothukudi district.
- According to the ASI, the bronze idol dates to the Vijayanagara era (15th to 16th century).
- The Indo-French Institute in Puducherry’s records and the images of the stolen idol were similar, according to a cross-check conducted by the idol wing officers after they learned that the idol was being sold at auction.
- It was determined that the Nataraja idol that had been stolen and the one being offered for auction were identical.
More Images Of Nataraja Idol
Who Is Dr. Jayanth Murali IPS?
Dr. K. Jayanth Murali, an IPS officer currently serving as Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Tamil Nadu.
- His early years were spent in Hyderabad, and he later relocated to Delhi, where he completed his microbiology PhD.
- He eventually relocated to Chennai and joined the Indian Police Service in 1991 through an odd turn of fate.
- In addition to receiving the prestigious President’s Police Medal in 2010 and 2015, the Chief Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Public Service in 2017, and the Chief Minister’s Special Service Medal in 2019, he has successfully completed a number of challenging and important assignments.
- Jayanth is also passionate about marathon running.
- By setting two records—one in the half-marathon category in 2018 and another in the full-marathon category in 2019—he has etched his name into the Asia Book of Records.
- In addition, he blogs frequently, is a farmer and coaches runners and nutrition.
- He enjoys cooking or painting as a way to unwind.
- His articles have appeared on Medium.com, The Asian Age, and Deccan Chronicle.
Know everything about this multi-verse officer here – www.jayanthmurali.com/
follow him on Twitter
He is also the author of the book 42 Mondays:
Before you flip through the pages of this fascinating book, buckle up.
You are about to embark on an exciting journey that will not only astound you but also lift the curtain on some game-changing emerging technologies that promise to give law enforcement agencies awesome new tools to fight crime and criminals.
Discover some cool emerging technologies as you read the book, like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, 3D printing, DNA profiling, and genetic etc.
