Pon Manickavel Archives

News Reports

3 ancient artefacts to be returned to India during Australian PM Morrison’s visit

OpIndia Staff - 28 November, 2019

The serpent king (Nagaraja) idol dates back to the 6th or 8th Century and is believed to be from Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. The 'Dwarapalas' from Tamil Nadu is said to be from the 15th century.

News Reports

Tamil Nadu: As Pon Manickavel’s Idol Wing wades through legal and bureaucratic delays, hundreds of seized artefacts lie in the open

OpIndia Staff - 12 November, 2019

The artefacts include centuries-old stone sculptures, idols, stone pillars, wooden artefacts, 'Vahanas' or ritual vehicles, and other antiquities. They have been lying in the premises of CBI-CID's Economic Offences Wing in Chennai.

News Reports

600-year-old stolen Nataraja idol being brought back to India, idol wing head reveals TN govt refused fund to bring it back

OpIndia Staff - 12 September, 2019

About 1200 ancient idols are believed to have been stolen from Tamil Nadu between 1992 and 2017

News Reports

French woman arrested at Chennai airport over stolen antiques, idols and artefacts worth crores recovered

OpIndia Staff - 16 August, 2019

Idol Wing CID claims to have busted a idol smuggling racket

News Reports

Madras HC quashes TN govt order, appoints Pon Manickavel as special officer for idol wing

OpIndia Staff - 30 November, 2018

The state government and Pon Manickavel have been at loggerheads with each other for a while. The government had tried to transfer all cases of the idol wing to the CBI citing the IG’s 'unsatisfactory performance'.

Law