An idol, which went missing from a temple near Madurai in 1915, was found hidden inside the wall of a house. It is believed that the idol is over 700 years old.
According to reports, the idol was stolen by Kandasamy, one of the two priests of the temple in 1915. The temple is located in Nagaikkadai street, Melur near Madurai and is believed to be around 800 years old.
Kandasamy took the idol to his house, after disagreement with the other priest. A complaint was also lodged with the British police back then. Though they had investigated it, they could not solve the case.
Meanwhile, Kandasamy created a hole in the wall, hid the idol and plastered the surface of the wall.
Six months ago, Kandasamy’s grandson K Murugesan, who runs a tea shop in Namakkal, went to the temple and said that he suspected his grandfather had hidden the idol inside the wall of his ancestral house. His suspicion stemmed from the fact that his grandfather used to offer prayers at that particular spot in the wall. He told the temple authorities that he feared that this act by his grandfather had angered the Goddess and had caused the deaths of many of their relatives as well as his bad health.
Based on a written complaint from Murugesan, police requested permission of the house’s present owner to demolish the house and on Sunday, the operation was carried out. Upon demolishing the house, the lost statue was discovered at the exact spot mentioned by Murugesan. It was a statue of Dhraupadhi Amman measuring around 1.5 feet in height. The description of the idol matched the records maintained by the temple including the fact that the idol has three eyes.
The idol was taken back to the temple and a special pooja was performed.