Idol Wing intensifies probe

The Idol Wing police has intensified its probe into a major conspiracy behind the attempt to replace the main idol of the Dandayuthapaniswamy Temple in Palani 14 years ago.

It has emerged that K.K. Raja, a relative of Minister Dindigul C. Srinivasan, was the Executive Officer of the Palani temple in the rank of Joint Commissioner when the alleged offence took place in 2004.

In 2003, it was decided to commission a new golden idol weighing 200 kg, to be installed near the moolavar (the main idol). The investigation will reveal who was behind the project. The offence came to light only recently, after someone passed on the information to the Idol Wing team, headed by Ponn Manikavel. ADSP Rajaraman and DSP Karunakaran, after preliminary investigations, unearthed a larger conspiracy and suspected fraud in the casting of the new idol.

A recent investigation revealed that there had been no damage to the main idol, contrary to what had been claimed. “They [the conspirators] planned to make a new abishekamurthy idol, weighing around 200 kg, to be installed near the moolavar inside the sanctum sanctorum. The main idol was to be shifted under the pretext that it was damaged, but the agenda was to smuggle the moolavar idol and sell it to a foreign art gallery,” sources said.

The original proposal for a 200 kg idol made of gold was altered to one that consisted of five metals, with gold accounting for 10%.

Contrary to agama rules, Muthiah was allowed to make the new idol at his workshop, named Swarna Sirpa Kalaikoodam, instead of doing it on the temple premises under the supervision of HR&CE officials. Inquiries revealed that the idol was made of only four metals, including gold, and that not even a single ounce of silver was used. In 2003, ₹60,65,000 was spent on buying gold for the idol as well as the other metals to be used.

The police said the sthapathi used 263 kg of metals but made an idol weighing only 221.8 kg. “Mr. Raja failed to account for the weight of the idol and accepted it without any proper documentation. He caused wilful loss to the temple,” Idol Wing sources said.