Did anti-hindu elements vandalize 63 idols at Avinashi Lingeshwarar Temple in Tamil Nadu?

Claim

Anti-Hindu elements vandalized & damaged 63 idols at the ancient Avinashi Lingeshwar temple in Tiruppur, TN last night. This was a well-planned conspiracy by Hindu haters who could not tolerate the unprecedented rush of devotees for the Rath Mahotsav in the last few days.

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Explanation

A set of images of a temple gopuram and vandalized parts are shared to claim that anti-hindu elements vandalized & damaged 63 idols at the ancient Avinashi Lingeshwar temple in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu. The viral post further mentions “This was a well-planned conspiracy by Hindu haters who could not tolerate the unprecedented rush of devotees for the Rath Mahotsav in the last few days.” some of the posts with such a claim can be seen here and here.

What is the truth?

When searching with relevant keywords we found an article dated 24, May 2023 by DT Next mentioning that Saravana Bharathi, 32 years old was caught for vandalizing idols and attempting to steal valuables at Avinashi Lingeshwarar in Tirupur on May 23. Police nabbed him when he was hiding in the temple tower.

The article also mentioned that the police said, “The accused had dismantled caskets cemented amidst idols of 63 ‘nayanmars’ and also desecrated those idols. Also, the thief made a futile attempt to break open the two ‘hundials’ on the premises. Some valuables including a few spears were found missing.”

Indian Express reported that the accused attempted to break open the hundial or the collection box, removed the parivattam (headbands) from the idols of Nayanmar, and also damaged the cement kalasams (pots) as per the police’s statement. On allegations that close to 63 Nayanmar idols were broken inside the temple, the police said none of the idols was damaged by the accused.

Tamil Nadu Police took to Twitter on May 24 to clarify that Saravana Bharathi (32) (Hindu) S/o Udhayakumar was arrested and remanded within 24 hours of the incident. The tweet further mentions “He entered the temple and attempted to steal Hundiyal money. but he failed to break the Hundiyal. The frustrated accused broke some cement parts kept in the temple. None of the idols were damaged by the accused. He has a mental disorder. He does not belong to any political organisation.”

Conclusion

It is found that 63 idols were not vandalized in Avinashi Lingeshwarar temple but the accused Saravana Bharathi had dismantled caskets cemented amidst idols of 63 ‘nayanmars’.

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