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12th century statue stolen from India found in New York after more than 50 years

12th century statue stolen from India found in New York after more than 50 years

The statue which was stolen from Chennai

A 12th century statue that was stolen from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu was found in New York, the police said. The statue of Hindu goddess Parvati went missing way back in 1971 but the authorities have traced it to the Bonhams Auction House. According to the authorities in the United States, the Tamil Nadu police has already been in contact, and they are preparing documents to bring the idol back to India. However, the auction house has not released any official statement till now.

The police said that the statue was stolen from the Nadanapureshwarar Sivan temple, but official investigation began in 2019 after an official complaint. The statue, which was valued around $212,575 by the experts, was among five artifacts that went missing from the ancient temple.

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The statue was found after an expert compared its pictures with the ones taken for the auction at the auction house. They found that it belonged to Chola empire who ruled during the 13th century.

After searching for more than two years, the authorities in Tamil Nadu were finally able to track it down and the case is currently being handled by Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu police.

"The sculpture is a testament to the technical genius of the artist, epitomizing the confident and time-honoured aesthetic canon of the Chola empire," the Idol Wing said in a statement.

"Therefore, we are entitled to claim ownership of the idol as India is a party to UNESCO'S World Heritage Convention, 1972," the authorities added.