There is an international conspiracy to destroy the documentary proof of India’s rich culture, traditions and history, according to leading historians, archaeologists and Indologists. The seizure of hundreds of ancient idols, paintings, sculptures and stone inscriptions by the Idol Wing Branch of the Tamil Nadu Police is a proof of this conspiracy, Nanditha Krishna and Prof C I Issac, members, Indian Council of Historical Research told The Pioneer.
The high-power Idol Wing-CID attached to the Economic Offences Wing of Tamil Nadu Police had busted an idol smuggling racket and taken into custody hundreds of idols and artefacts from the house and art galleries owned by an octogenarian art smuggler Deenadayalan in Chennai.
What surprised the investigators and the archaeologists is the modus operand employed by Deenadayalan to smuggle out the antique items from India. The idols were packed and exported as newly carved out sculptures and idols sourced from the artisans of Mahabalipuram and Thanjavur, places known for their sculptors and master craftsmen.
While the ancient idols command big premium in global market, what has baffled the police, archaeologists and indologists is the number of ancient paintings and stone inscriptions which has been “purchased” and mobilised from hundreds of temples in Tamil Nadu. “The idols are sold in the international market and each of them commands millions of dollars. But the smuggling of stone inscriptions is being done to destroy the rich cultural and social heritage of Tamil Nadu,” Nanditha Krishna, member, Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) told The Pioneer.
Krishna said hundreds of such stone-inscriptions bearing important messages and information has already been destroyed under the pretext of maintenance and repair of temples.
S Kalyanaraman, banker-turned-indologist pointed out that it was from stone inscriptions in temples in Tamil Nadu the world came to know that a healthy election and parliamentary system was in vogue even in the 12th century. He recalled the speech delivered by T Prakasam in the Constituent Assembly on November 9, 1948 in which he spoke about the inscriptions in Uthiramerur Temple made during the 12th century.
“The ballot box and the ballet papers were described in an inscription on the walls of a temple in the villages of Uthiramerur, 20 miles from Conjeevaram. Every detail is given there. The ballot box was a pot with the mouth tied and placed on the ground with a hole made at the bottom and the ballot paper was the kadjan leaf and adult franchise was exercised. The election took place not only for that village but for the whole of India. This was just a thousand years ago,” Prakasam said while addressing the Constituent Assembly.
Kalyanaraman said such inscriptions are our only sources that link us with our past. “India has seen many such inscriptions getting destroyed by foreign invaders with ulterior motives. The Temple Inscriptions all over the country are our official history and the destruction of such stone carvings is an attempt to sabotage the country’s ancient history so that vested interests would be able to rewrite the Indian history,” he said.
Prof CI Issac, another member of the ICHR said the smuggling of temple idols and artefacts have been going on for decades. “These idols fetch millions of dollars in international market. But the smuggling of artefacts and stone inscriptions have to be somehow stopped immediately. Otherwise foreigners would sabotage our history as per their whims and fancies,” warned Prof Issac.
R Nagaswamy, archaeologist and former director, Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department had been cautioning the Tamil Nadu Government about the safety measures to be followed while restoring temples across the State. “While repairing and restoring the temples, care has to be taken to ensure that the inscriptions and carvings on temple walls and floors are not destroyed. But many times we have come across instances of wanton destruction of such inscriptions,” said Nagaswamy.
Source : Daily Pioneer
