Melakasakudy
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Melakasakudy is a revenue village in the Karaikal taluk of Puducherry District. It is situated to the west of Karaikal town.
Temple[edit]
An ancient Varatharaja Perumal temple is present in the village.
Idol theft[edit]
Eight antique idols belonging to the temple were stolen sometime between 1959 and 1962. The Nataraja idol was found 15 days later and reinstalled. A volunteer-collective India Pride Project has traced the remaining idols to few museums/institutions in the Western world.[1]
Similar idol theft was reported from the Tantondreeswara temple in the nearby Nedungadu, beyond the Nattar River in 1959.[2]
| S.No. | Deity | Stolen Idol traced to | Country | Current status | More Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rama | Unknown | |||
| 2 | Sita | Unknown | |||
| 3 | Lakshmana | Unknown | |||
| 4 | Hanuman | Metropolitan Museum of Art | United States | Unknown | [3] |
| 5 | Narasimha | Metropolitan Museum of Art | United States | Unknown | [4] |
| 6 | Chakratalvar | Unknown | |||
| 7 | Thirumangai Alvar | Unknown | |||
| 8 | Ambal | Unknown |
References[edit]
- "Karaikal District - Revenue Administration". Karaikal District. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ Dominique, Bosco (23 December 2022). "Karaikal temple lodges complaint six decades after 8 antique idols stolen". Times of India. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ Dominique, Bosco (9 February 2023). "Karaikal temple priest lodges complaint six decades after two antique idols were stolen". Times of India. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Hanuman Conversing". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. c. 1100. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ "Yoga Narasimha, Vishnu's Man-Lion Incarnation". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. c. 1200. Retrieved 11 September 2023.