Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department readies list of idols in temples
7 Sept 2014 9:45 AM IST
26,000 icons figure under Antiquities Act
Chennaiites on Saturday bid adieu to Lord Vinayaka with religious fervour. About 200 Ganesha idols of varying sizes and hues were taken in procession for immersion at Marina. The remaining idols would be taken for immersion at five points on Sunday
Chennai: The state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department has prepared a comprehensive list of idols at various temples under its control and had registered over 26,000 idols under the Antiquities Act to protect the cultural wealth of Tamil Nadu.
According to HR&CE commissioner P. Dhanapal, his department has played a vital role in protecting the idols as also in seeking police help in retrieving the lost idols. Referring to the Sri Natarajar and Sri Ardhanareshwar idols which were traced to Australia and handed over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott, he said his department officials had filed complaints after the idols went missing.
It was due to the efforts of his department in lodging a complaint that the police were able to trace them, he claimed. He said the temple authorities had in April 2002 lodged a complaint with the police about the incident of the Sri Ardhanareshwar idol which had gone missing from the temple.
A complaint was filed before the Virudhachalam police and an FIR was lodged on 31, July 2013 that the idol had gone missing from Sri Vriddhagirishwar temple in Vriddhachalam in Cuddalore district.
“Similarly, our officials had lodged a complaint about Sri Natarjan idol that had gone missing in 1984. But, the police wanted a senior official of the rank of assistant commissioner and not temple officials to lodge complaints. There has been no delay on our part in informing the police about missing idols,” he pointed out.
“We have registered about 26,000 idols kept in ancient temples in the state under the Antiquities Act. Now the power to register them under the Act has been conferred to the ASI,” he said.
( Source : dc )
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