As Indians, it is important for each of us to understand that these artifacts are our heritage, the inheritance we have received from our ancestors who created them with devotion and skill, with love and mastery. Powers that be, must put strict systems of protection of our heritage in place, so no unscrupulous art dealer from anywhere in the world dare lay his hands on our art again.
The dancing Shiva, the thrice-bent Uma Parameshvari or the Vridhachalam Ardhanari- lakhs of idols such as these, created by master craftsmen and sculptors centuries ago, resided in our temples to be worshipped by devotees and believers. Scores of invaders, plundered most of our art and antiques or destroyed them on religious grounds. But even after centuries of loot, thousands of our artifacts survived- buried deep under the ground, or in corners of step wells- hidden presumably, by unsung heroes who protected them at the cost of their lives.
One would assume, that after our nation attained Independence, these spectacular sculptures made of metal, wood or stone, would finally breathe free, unburdened from the fear of theft and pillage. But the brazen greed of so-called art collectors, compromised law keepers and corrupt museum officials, cast their lethal shadow on these priceless artifacts of India again. The loot continued, and thousands of our idols have continued to vanish from temples and museums across the length and breadth of our country.
It has taken the will, work and wildness of a few maverick art lovers, policemen and patriots to identify our stolen art and tread on the tedious journey to bring our treasures home. Pivotal amongst the humble team that took on this impossible mission has been the role of S Vijay Kumar, a Singapore based shipping executive, who gets down to tracing stolen Indian art at the end of each working day. Kumar started out by writing about temple art as a hobby, then blogging about it on his blog poetryinstone.in, and the research and writings serendipitously led him to the dark world of art theft.
S Vijay Kumar realised that much of our art, resting in remote ancient temples, are soft targets for unscrupulous art collectors who don’t bat an eyelid before organising their theft, exporting them out of the country and then selling them to art connoisseurs or museums for mind boggling profits. Focal amongst the thieves, was the flamboyant Subhash Kapoor, an art dealer, who hosted fancy champagne brunches and glittering galas at his home in New York, which were attended by his clients that included top art collectors and museum officials. Kumar, through anonymous tips on social media and from fellow art lovers, had enough reason to believe Kapoor was ruthless in wiping out India’s art from its temples. Therefore, he followed his operations closely, hoping for a slip up somewhere.
The master mind Subhash Kapoor
In 2005, Kapoor was eyeing priceless bronze statues from temples Sri Brihadeswarar Temple in Sripuranthan and Sri Vardharaja Perumal Temple in Suthamalli (both near Puducherry). Along with his associate Sanjeevi Asokan, Kapoor masterminded the pillage of these little-known dilapidated temples and got 29 idols stolen and then shipped to his company Nimbus Exports in New York! Kapoor paid a crore to Asokan for the idols but the sale of a single idol to an Australian museum fetched him a handsome $5 million. The deed was not discovered for years.
But in 2010, Kumar received yet another anonymous tip that Kapoor’s art gallery that went by the name of Art of the Past, was putting up a pair of Shiva Nataraja and Sivakami idols for sale in Manhattan. Kumar examined the photos that had been shared with him; the idols were in impeccable condition — and contained within them a clue, rare for bronze idols! Inscribed on their base pedestals there was a word in Tamil script. Kumar would have to clear the picture before being able to read the inscription. Another anomaly was noticed in the photographs. The idols were faded in colour, so Kumar assumed they would have been worshipped at some temple in India for a long time. But the residual oil stains on the artefacts made him suspicious of the fact that they perhaps had only recently been removed from a temple in India! Kumar, with his team, got cracking on the lead.
The photos were cleared and the inscription was read. ‘Suthamalli’ was the word that emerged in the Tamil script. Kumar found no temple by that name in his database, but he continued his probe. Finally, he discovered one record of the idols at the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP), in Puducherry. This Institute has been documenting temple sites in Tamil Nadu since 1955 and had photographed the bronzes while they were still in the two temples. Their archive was not online, but they had in place a complex system of bin cards and manual retrieval of photographic transparencies. It was here that Kumar and his team found the archival photos of the idols in the two temples.
Detailed investigation tied all the strings to Subhash Kapoor – the pair had indeed been stolen at his behest from Suthamalli. Kumar wasted no time in informing the police in Tamil Nadu that had set up an ‘Idol Wing’ to focus on art theft and retrieving stolen art to India, his information. He supplied the cops with the tip and the proof. An operation was immediately launched to nab and extradite Subhash Kapoor for theft and illegal possession of rare arts of India. A series of twists and turns followed, ultimately leading to the dramatic arrest of Subhash Kapoor as he was presenting his passport at an immigration counter in Germany in October 2011.
Kapoor was thereafter lodged at Central Prison in Trichy in 2011. While the case proceeded, the US also began investigations against the dubious art dealer. As per an estimate, more than “2,500 items trafficked by Kapoor and his network” were recovered by the District Attorney of New York and US Homeland Security Investigations from 2011 to 2022. Their worth is estimated at a staggering $143 million!
In November 2022, a trial court sentenced Subhash Kapoor to seven years prison term for conspiracy and an additional three-year term for buying and selling of stolen goods. Kapoor is also wanted in the USA in cases of dealing with stolen goods and artifacts. However, despite serving the ten-year prison term in India, Kapoor continues to be lodged in jail in the country for non- payment of a Rs 7000 fine. Experts believe it is a tactic to avoid extradition to the US, wherein additional proceedings for the illegal possession of the thousands of art works found in his premises need to begin.
Apathy among museums, Australia led by example
Kapoor’s downfall is complete. But the journey of India’s Gods to their homeland has just begun. With the arrest of Kapoor, Indian authorities put pressure on all museums now possessing India’s heritage artefacts bought from the dubious art dealer, to return them to the nation. Sadly, the response of museums in several countries was disappointing. Non responsiveness, delay tactics, debates on the ‘legal acquisition’ of the artefacts etc have been excuses put forth by museums to not return what was stolen from India back to the country. The fact that due diligence was not carried out properly by these museums before the purchase of the rare and priceless artefacts was just not owned up to.
However, the National Gallery of Australia, tread the unconventional path and saw merit in India’s arguments for the return of the artifacts sold to it by Kapoor. The NGA agreed to return numerous Indian artifacts, including idols, to India. The returned artifacts included a 900-year-old Nataraja statue, two door guardians from Tamil Nadu and a serpent king from Rajasthan/Madhya Pradesh, all purchased from Subhash Kapoor. These along with the rare Bhagwan Anajaneyar, Hanuman’s idol, stolen from Vellore in Tamil Nadu, along with several other artifacts acquired from Kapoor, were also handed over to an Indian Mission by the Australian authorities.
Rare Indian Art coming home
Following Australia, museums around the world took cognisance of India’s request to return our idols to where they rightfully belong. In 2014, the Indian High Commission in Canada formally requested the Department of Canadian Heritage for the repatriation of the majestic 12th century sandstone sculpture of the “Parrot Lady” to India. The sculpture was illegally brought to Canada from Khajuraho in 2011 and was detained by the Department of Canadian Heritage due to a lack of proper documentation. In April 2015, then-Canadian Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper presented the Parrot Lady sculpture to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ottawa.
In Oct 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel handed over the Mahishasuramardini idol to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her visit to India. The idol, a 10th century Mahishasuramardini artefact, stolen from a temple in Pulwama’s Tengpora village in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir landed in the showcases of the Linden State Museum for Ethnology in Germany. The 18-armed sculpture of Durga was made of ‘lush greenstone’. It was later put on display at the new Shri Pratap Singh Museum in Srinagar, Kashmir.
In November 2015, the Singapore-based Asian Civilization Museum returned an 11th century Uma Parameshwari bronze idol stolen from Shiva temple in Ariyalur district in Tamil Nadu.
In June 2016, President Barack Obama agreed to return more than 200 ancient artefacts, valued at more than USD 100 million, that were stolen from religious sites in India at the behest of Subhash Kapoor and smuggled out of the country. These artefacts included bronze and terracotta pieces, like the statue of Saint Manikkavichavakar, a mystic and poet from the Chola period, stolen from the Sivan Temple in Chennai. Some of the religious statues were rare and ancient pieces, more than 2,000 years old.
Since 2014, more than 640 idols back home
It is interesting to note that since 2014, an impressive 640 idols from all over the world have been returned to our country. This holds significance, when one discerns that from 1947 to 2014, only 13 idols and art works were returned to India from countries they were illegally sent to. The concerted efforts of heritage hounds, daredevil informants and pressing law enforcement officers, all have to be lauded for the return of our Gods. The political will to bring back our heritage has also to be duly credited.
It is indeed a matter of pride that the Nataraja bronze statue is back at the Kailasanathar temple, the bronze idol of child-saint Sambandar to the Sayavaneswarar temple, and a Shiva-Parvati idol to the Vanmeeganathar temple; the home coming of these idols happened amidst huge devotion and fanfare. While we revel in this success, we must also be aware of the aftermath of many pieces of returned art works that do not meet the same fate as the idols of the Gods.
In fact, many of the returned idols sit outside the offices of high-ranking officials of the museum or locked in store cupboards due to lack of documentation and security. This is a matter of huge concern. In the words of former Director of antiquities, ASI, DN Dimri, “It will be of no use if the antiquities remain locked in store rooms. There is a need to speed up the process of transferring (them to their original places of worship) after coming back to India,”
Academic and conservationist Samayita Banerjee has also raised concerns about systemic neglect. She warns that artefacts returning home risk being ‘lost’ again—both literally and figuratively.
So, while we celebrate the return of hundreds of our art works and idols, we have to discern that thousands are still missing from our temples and museums. Scores of idols risk getting stolen again and as systems are not in place yet for safekeeping and proper protection. This is indeed a shame for a country investing so much in recovering its lost heritage. As Indians, it is important for each of us to understand that these artifacts are our heritage, the inheritance we have received from our ancestors who created them with devotion and skill, with love and mastery. Powers that be, must put strict systems of protection of our heritage in place, so no unscrupulous art dealer from anywhere in the world dare lay his hands on our art again. Strict laws and systems are imperative in safeguarding our heritage which is locked in these beauties resting in our temples and our museums. While we pray to the idols to protect us, we too must protect these stunning priceless figures from loot and plunder, from decay and loss. We have come thus far. It is imperative to go the entire journey, and safeguard our heritage for posterity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ankita Kumar is a film, television and theatre screenwriter with over 15 years of experience. She is also the writer and director of the short film ON DUTY available on OTT platform.
