Stolen Tirumankai Alvar Idol Found In British Museum

The idol of Tirumankai Alvar stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu has been found in a British Museum. The idol was bought by the museum from the infamous auction house Sotheby's involved in the smuggling and selling of world heritage including India.

Stolen Tirumankai Alvar Idol found in British Museum

The Indian government has asked the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to return a 15th-century bronze idol that was apparently stolen from a temple in the 1960s. The Indian high commission in London said a formal request for restitution of the statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar was made last Friday, reported The Guardian.

The move comes after the Ashmolean informed the high commission last December of new research that questioned the provenance of the sculpture, which was bought by the museum from Sotheby’s auction house in London in 1967.

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