Missing idol of Chola queen is in US gallery, say cops

The idol wing said that it has initiated a probe in the case based on a complaint from a lawyer ‘Elephant’ Rajendran, who claimed to have seen the panchaloha idol in an art gallery in Washington, DC.

The idol was installed in Kailasanathar Temple in Sembiyan Mahadevi village near Nagapatinam. “The idol mysteriously disappeared 30-40 years ago after it was shifted by HR&CE officials from the temple. Now the same idol is there in a gallery in Washington,” said the idol wing police quoting the complaint of the lawyer.

‘Elephant’ Rajendran has lodged a complaint with the Velankanni police, which was later shifted to the idol wing unit. The photograph of the idol in Washington, DC gallery, taken by the lawyer, was shown to the temple staff and they had confirmed that the picture is of the missing idol.

Sembyian Mahadevi is one of the most famous queens of Chola period and she was the mother of King Madurantaka Uttama Chola Deva. She, after the death of her husband at the age of 15, turned out be the most powerful queens of the Chola empire, who constructed numerous temples and gave generous gifts to many temples in South India.