Idol Wing begins investigation to trace Chola period copper plate

Idol Wing CID investigates missing Chola copper plate from Anbil temple, seeks public help for recovery.

Officials of the Idol Wing CID on Friday have begun investigations to trace a Chola period copper plate that has been missing for a long time from the Sri Sathiyavaheeswarar Temple at Anbil near Tiruchi.

R. Sivakumar, Superintendent of Police, Idol Wing, visited the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple along with ADSP G Balamurugan, and Inspector R. Indira and conducted enquiries with the officials there as the Anbil temple comes under the temple. They also visited the temple museum to check for records. Later the team visited the temple at Anbil and conducted inquiries with the locals.

Their visit comes in the wake of a statement issued by the Idol Wing CID on Thursday requesting the public to share information, if any, about the missing copper plate.

The copper plate belonging to the Sivan temple has been missing for a long time. A complaint was filed by the Director of Museum, Tamil Nadu, with the Idol Wing police in 2023 following which an FIR was filed in January, 2024.

Known as Anbil plate, it was believed to have been given by King Sundara Chola and carries information about a parcel of land given to his minister in 961 AD and the services rendered by the ancestors of Madhava Bhattar to the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple.

Preliminary investigation in the case revealed that a group of archaeologists from Mysore had visited the temple and copied it in 1957. After this, the plate was not found in the temple and there has been no information about it either.

It was of utmost significance that the copper plate was recovered to showcase the cultural heritage of the region, the release said. The public can contact the Idol wing SP by dialling 9842126150 or the Inspector at 9498156669 to provide information relating to the plate.