Veerasolapuram Explained

Veerasolapuram
Other Name:Veeracholapuram
Settlement Type:village
Pushpin Map:India Tamil Nadu#India
Pushpin Label Position:right
Coordinates:11.7475°N 79.0294°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: India
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Tamil Nadu
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Kallakurichi
Subdivision Type3:Taluka
Subdivision Name3:Kallakkurichi
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Total:1929
Population As Of:2011
Blank Name Sec2:Parliamentary constituency
Blank1 Name Sec2:Assembly constituency
Timezone1:IST
Utc Offset1:+5:30
Postal Code Type:PIN
Postal Code:606 206
Area Code Type:Telephone code
Area Code:04151
Registration Plate:TN-15

Veerasolapuram (also Veeracholapuram or Viracholapuram) is an ancient village located near Kallakurichi in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, India.[1]

Climate

The temperature is moderate; the maximum and minimum temperatures being 38 °C and 21 °C respectively. The town gets its rainfall from the northeast monsoon in winter and the southwest monsoon in summer. The average annual rainfall is 1070 mm.

Agriculture

Veeracholapuram is an agricultural village.Major crops cultivated are sugarcane and rice. The river Manimuktha runs through the village providing enough water throughout the year for irrigation.

Historical Temples

Veeracholapuram is famous for its Shiva Temple and is known as Nareeswarar Sivan Temple (also Narishwara, Nagareshwara, or Ardhanareshwara Temple).[2]

Idol Theft

The idols of Shiva, Parvati and other deities were stolen sometime in 1960s and were traced by the Idol Wing of the Tamil Nadu Criminal Investigation Department (IW-CID) with the help of volunteer-collective India Pride Project to various museums/institutions in the United States.[3] [4] [5]

S.No.DeityStolen Idol traced toCountryCurrent statusMore Details
1TripurantakaCleveland Museum of ArtUnited StatesUnknown[6]
2Tripura SundariCleveland Museum of ArtUnited StatesUnknown
3NatarajaPrivate collectorUnited StatesUnknown[7]
Auctioned by Christie's in 2003
4SundararFreer Gallery of ArtUnited StatesUnknown[8]
5Paravai NachiyarFreer Gallery of ArtUnited StatesUnknown
6Veenadhara DakshinamurthyPrivate collectorUnited StatesUnknown[9]
Auctioned by Christie's in 2013
7NandikeshwararUnited StatesUnknown

Notes and References

  1. 2011 Census Village code for Veeracholapuram = 634599, Web site: Reports of National Panchayat Directory: List of Census Villages mapped for: Veerasolapuram Gram Panchayat, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu. Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
  2. News: Menon. Jaya. Kabirdoss. Yogesh. Idols worth Rs 500 crore stuck abroad, govt agencies lack will. Times of India. 11 September 2023. 11 September 2019. ... Among the idols he is trying to retrieve are one of Saint Sundarar with wife Paravai, stolen from the Veeracholapuram Shiva temple in Villupuram district and showcased at Freer Gallery of Art in the US ....
  3. News: Menon. Jaya. Idols stolen from tn temples traced to museums in US. Times of India. 7 August 2023. 20 May 2018.
  4. News: R.. Sivaraman. Idol Wing submits papers to retrieve six stolen Chola-era idols from U.S.. The Hindu . 7 August 2023. 24 August 2022.
  5. News: R.. Sivaraman. Idol Wing steps up efforts to retrieve 16 antique idols from the United States. The Hindu . 3 August 2023. 24 June 2023.
  6. Web site: Shiva and Parvati. 950–960. 7 August 2023. Cleveland Museum of Art.
  7. Web site: A Large Bronze Figure of Shiva Nataraja . 1000–1100. 7 August 2023. Christie's.
  8. Web site: Saint Sundarar with wife Paravai. c. 1600. 7 August 2023. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. ... In the summer of 2018, the museum discovered that the Saint Sundarar with wife Paravai bronze was from the Shiva temple (also known as Narishwara, Nagareshwara, or Ardhanareshwara) built in the 16th century, Vijaynagara period. The temple is situated in Veerasolapuram village, in the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. In 1956, the sculpture was photographed at this temple; the original photograph is at the photo archive jointly run by the École Française d'Extrême Orient (EFEO) and the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP). While it is not known with certainty when the bronze left the Tamil Nadu temple and arrived in the United States, another sculpture from the same temple was sold by William H. Wolff, Inc. in 1961. Since the Sackler sculpture was previously in possession of Wolff, who then sold it to Arthur M. Sackler, it is possible that the Sackler bronze also left India by 1961. ....
  9. Web site: A bronze figure of Shiva Vinadhara Dakshinamurti . 975–1025. 7 August 2023. Christie's.

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