• swarajyamag.com/culture/india-has-abandoned-its-gods/
  
  
• swarajyamag.com/culture/operation-hidden-idol-the-struggle-to-bring-back-indian-antiquities/
  
  
• swarajyamag.com/culture/crowd-sourcing-an-idol-hunt/
  
  

Quote:Idol-lifters in police dragnet









Archives - Chennai



NT Bureau | Mon, 01 Feb, 2010,02:20 PM



[size="7"]Economic Offences Wing has arrested a seven-member gang including a pastor on the charge of trying to smuggle panchaloha idols worth several crores of rupees.[/size]



Briefing mediapersons in Chennai today, the Offences Wing Additional Director General of Police G Thilagavathi said based on a tip-off, a special police team went to a lodge at Periamet where the gang was staying and caught pastor Immanuel of Pallur in Vellore, Madasamy of Chelliyanallur in Tirunelveli and Pitchaimani



The team also seized a panchaloha idol of Krishna. On interrogation, the accused revealed that one Jaganathan and Velu of Vellore had been involved in lifting the temple idols from Tiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram and Vellore districts. He said the duo usually gives the stolen idols to the pastor.



The stolen idols were of Krishna, Rathai, Rukumani, Vinayakar from a temple in Eeralachery. The duo which handed over an idol of Krishna to the pastor buried other idols on the banks of a river.



The gang then decided to give it to one Marisamy of Kottankuppam in Puducherry who is involved in smuggling the panchaloha idols to foreign countries.



Later the team arrested Marisamy and recovered five idols of Mahavir which were stolen from a temple in Tiruvannamalai. Based on the information, the team also recovered other panchaloha idols which were hidden.



As many as 11 panchaloha idols worth about Rs 11 crore were recovered, she added. The team also arrested Pitchumani and Gangachalam in this regard.

Quote:Now we are able to piece together the history of the oldest temple discovered in Tamil Nadu which is located near Mahabalipuram. The original temple made of brick and dedicated to Muruga was built during the Sangam era (200 BCE to 300 CE). This temple was destroyed and the Pallava kings rebuilt it as a granite temple during 800 – 900 CE. This temple was destroyed as well. What is discovered now is remains of that temple.



The Frontline article describes the discovery in detail and has numerous pictures. It also talks about the various scripts and languages found at the site.

Quote:There are bilingual inscriptions in Pallava-Grantha and Nagari scripts in Sanskrit language on the walls of this temple.

[...]

This new temple has a vimana (tower) like the Shore Temple and it has been suggested that this temple was part of the seven pagodas which existed in that area

Quote:THE discovery of the temple complex has strengthened the arguments of those who believe that a string of Seven Pagodas (temples with vimanas) existed on the Mamallapuram coast. Although many dismiss it as a fanciful imagination, the discovery in February 2005 of the remains of a massive temple, dedicated to Siva, close to the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, revived the debate about whether the Seven Pagodas did exist after all. After last year’s tsunami washed away the beach sand and revealed dressed rock in a square area close to the Shore Temple, the ASI excavated the spot and ran into the remains of a temple, which would have rivalled the Shore Temple in size and grandeur (Frontline, May 7, 2005). The Shore Temple, which is on the fringes of the sea, is said to be one of the Seven Pagodas and it is the only one that exists.[Another surprise in Mamallapuram]