Stolen Thirumangai Alwar bronze idol returns to Kumbakonam temple after nearly 70 years
An antique bronze idol of Thirumangai Alwar, stolen from a temple in Kumbakonam decades ago, is being returned by the Ashmolean Museum in the UK. The recovery was facilitated by the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing-CID, which provided scientific evidence of the idol's provenance.
Why it matters
This reflects a growing global trend of museums repatriating cultural artifacts that were acquired through illicit trade or colonial-era theft.
After several decades of uncertainty, an antique bronze statue of Thirumangai Alwar, stolen from the Soundararaja Perumal Temple at Kumbakonam, has finally been recovered and returned to its rightful custodians.
The Idol Wing-CID of the Tamil Nadu Police traced the idol to the Ashmolean Museum in the United Kingdom, marking a breakthrough in the endeavour to restore the temple’s lost heritage. The Ashmolean Museum is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology.
On February 12, 2020, the Idol Wing-CID registered a case on a complaint, filed by the executive officer of the Sri Soundararaja Perumal Temple, of the theft of four idols from the temple between 1957 and 1967. The idols are the bronze statue of Thirumangai Alwar and the metal idols of Kaalinga Narthana Krishnar, Vishnu, and Sridevi.
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