Australia repatriates 14th century sculpture of Hanuman, stolen from Vishnu Temple in Tamil Nadu

Australia has repatriated a 14th century sculpture of Hanuman, which was stolen from a Vishnu Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur district in 2012, the ministry of culture said on Monday. The late Chola Period bronze idol was handed over to the state’s Idol Wing on April 18.

In 2012, four metal idols, of Varadaraja Perumal, Sridevi, Bhoodevi and Hanuman, were stolen from the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Sendurai in Ariyalur district. The Hanuman idol, along with other artefacts, was documented by the French Institute of Pondicherry in 1961, the ministry said.

The idol later ended at Christie’s and upon investigation, it was found that an American art collector residing in Canberra had auctioned it. The sculpture was then handed over to the High commissioner of India in Canberra by the US CDA Michael Goldman, US Embassy in Canberra, the ministry said. The idol was retrieved to India in the last week of February, 2023 and was handed over to the Idol Wing later on.