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    View: Indian idols need public support

    Antiquities seized from ‘notorious’ art smuggler Subhash Kapoor.

    Synopsis

    Indeed, every time someone posts a photo of a Chola bronze or stone frieze depicting some Indian deity displayed in some museum-invariably private and usually in the US-thoughts inevitably turn to how they landed up there in the first place. It is hard to believe that seasoned collectors, both institutional or individual bought the story that antiquities were legitimately acquired in India and sent legally to foreign shores by someone to be sold as "art".

    Earlier this month, the 'notorious' art smuggler Subhash Kapoor and five accomplices were convicted by a trial court in Tamil Nadu and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for stealing and smuggling 19 idols from the Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple valued at ₹94 crore. We all know, of course, that the legal process is far from over, and Kapoor's luck may turn one day. But what about the individuals and institutions who eagerly bought artefacts from
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    The Economic Times