Chidambaram Nataraja temple’s dark room secrets: Chola bronzes

Discovered during archaeologist R. Nagaswamy’s inspection in 1976, the bronzes, most of which belong to the early Chola period between the 10th and 12th centuries CE, are estimated to be worth between ₹400-₹450 crore in today’s international market

When noted archaeologist R. Nagaswamy, the then Director of the Department of Archaeology, entered a dark room in the famed Chidambaram Thillai Nataraja temple in 1976, he did not know what was in store for him. His inspection yielded a fine collection of bronze icons, and he estimated their value at ₹19 crore at the time.

An elated Nagaswamy wrote a detailed report to the Tamil Nadu government about the discovery.

“In my opinion, this is the most fabulous collection of ancient bronzes, particularly of the Chola period, in any individual temple under worship,” he wrote in his communication to G.S. Seshadri, Special Secretary, Commercial Taxes and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department.

Today, these sculptures are valued between ₹400-₹450 crore and evoke a lot interest at a time when government agencies are leaving no stone unturned to preserve and secure ancient bronzes smuggled out of the country. The present value of these bronzes in the international market has been calculated in two ways. One is using just inflation and another is purchasing power parity. So, this range is the most accurate way of describing this.

Nagaswamy took pictures of each bronze, prepared an album and indicated their value in the international market. His letter explains that he had undertaken the project following a memo from the HR and CE Department. It is not clear how many idols he had found in the temple given the album’s age and state of preservation.

“In view of both their artistic and antique value, it is necessary that we provide adequate security for the above group of bronzes in the Chidambaram temple,” he says in his confidential note, a copy of which The Hindu has seen.

He had also communicated to the department his plan to prepare a separate detailed description of each and every bronze in the collection. Most of the bronzes in the album belonged to the early Chola period, between the 10 th and 12 th centuries CE. A few of them had been made in the later Pandiya period, while some were from the 18 th century CE. The condition of the bronzes in pictures clearly shows that the bronzes were not in worship.