The Idol of Sembiyan Mahadevi stolen in 1921 from Tamil Nadu found in the US

Efforts are being taken to bring the Idol back to India

The copper Idol of Sembiyan Mahadevi

Chennai – The copper Idol of Sembiyan Mahadevi which was stolen from a temple in Nagapattinam of Tamil Nadu is found in ‘The Freer Gallery of Art’  museum in the US. The Police are trying to get it back.

#TamilNadu Idol Wing CID has traced a 1,000-year-old Chola queen #SembiyanMahadevi idol to a museum in the United States and steps have been initiated to bring it back.https://t.co/6GrChu9LTU

— TNIE Tamil Nadu (@xpresstn) July 29, 2022

1. Police said that in the year 2018, a person named Rajendran had visited the ‘Freer Gallery of Art’. That time he had seen the Idol of Sembiyan Mahadevi. After returning to India he informed the Velankanni Police as well as the devotees in the Sembiyan Mahadevi city. Then, the Police started the investigation.

2. The Police have said that the ‘Freer Gallery of Art’ in New York purchased it from a person named Hagop Kevorkian in 1921.

3. It is said that Sembiyan Mahadevi was one of the most powerful queens in her time. After the death of her husband, she decided to dedicate her life to the construction of the temple. That time she built a lot of temples. The Idol is going to be brought back in accordance with the UNESCO contract.