The demand in Sri Lanka for sculptures of Hindu gods has increased after several temples were destroyed during the war against the LTTE in the island nation. Experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have evaluated about 101 statues of Hindu gods headed for Colombo next Wednesday because, as per the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972, artifacts for export need to be certified as non-antiques.
“After the war ended, the demand for statues of gods have increased in Sri Lanka as the destroyed temples are being revived now,” said K. Pradeep of Apex International, an export firm. His company supplies statues and artifacts to Sri Lanka every two months. The current consignment to Colombo consists mainly of Shivlings and statues of Lords Murugan and Vinayagar and the Navagrahas.
Similarly, the Lord Ayya-ppa statue in Malaysia is awaiting its thiruvachi (ornamental arch at the back of the statue) from India. Craftsmen at Padumalai, Madurai, have also made 18 holy steps apart from Raja Gopuram and Kalasams for this newly constructed temple. “We have brought 54 items, including statues, thiruvachis and steps meant for the Ayyappa temple in Malaysia to display in front of the ASI expert committee to get non-antiquity certificates,” said Senthil Kumar, proprietor of Chennai’s Three Star International.
Chokkalingam, an instrumentalist at the Meenakshi Chokalingeshwar Temple in Malaysia, had to make a second trip to India to complete the set of 63 Nayanm-ars as one of the statues that he carried during the previous trip was of a “thondar” instead of a “Nayanmar”. India has supplied statues, artifacts and other heritage structures for various purposes across the world. While a few objects go directly to individual collectors, many are ordered for construction of temples and a few for art and crafts stores.