CHENNAI: Seven idols smuggled from Tamil Nadu and are currently in Australia will be brought back to the State soon, said K Pandiarajan, Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture. He was talking to reporters after a function held on Wednesday to mark the beginning of the construction of memorial for the late Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa.
The idols are said to be in the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, Australia. Pandiarajan said that the Australian government had agreed to return all idols belonging to the state and signed an agreement on this count.
“We explained the cultural and historical significance of the idols and the temples they were originally from, in writing to the Australian authorities. The Union government has also signed an extradition treaty with its Australian counterpart to get back such idols,” said the Minister.