CHENNAI: The officials of idol wing seized 11 ancient manuscripts with Buddhist inscriptions along with idols of Nataraja and Krishna from a heritage cottage in Alwarpet. According to the police, based on a tip-off, a team led by inspector Ravindran conducted search at a private arts and heritage centre in Alwarpet on Thursday night. The team seized a two-feet metallic Nataraja idol and a one-feet metallic idol of Lord Krishna.
The team also seized 11 bundles of ancient manuscripts containing Buddhist inscriptions. A senior police officer said the department is yet to ascertain the origin and language of inscriptions. “The items were concealed in the basement of the shop. The proprietors had no papers and have so far been unable to reveal the origin of the items.
Opinion of the ASI is being sought and efforts are on to find out the temples to which the idols may belong to and the country of origin of the manuscripts,” said a senior police officer. An expert who inspected the idols has opined that except the one-feet metallic idol of Nataraja remaining idols and the manuscripts are antique and are worth several crores of rupees in the international market.