From The Hindu Archives, February 10, 1976: Art treasures: strict registration soon

Kumbakonam, Feb. 9: The Protection of Antiques and Art Treasures Act enacted in 1972 will be strictly enforced shortly and all antiques and art pieces either public or private will compulsorily have to be registered with registering officers in the State who will statutorily be named, said Mr. N.R. Banerjee, Director, Antiquities. Archaeological Survey of India, on the occasion of the inauguration of a sculptural display gallery at the Airavateswara Temple in Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, to-day. Mr. M.N. Deshpande, Director-General, Archaeological Survey of India, inaugurated the art gallery, in the precincts of the temple. He called upon the people to give of their best in the proper maintenance of the art pieces and sculptural works in ancient temples. They must be zealous guardians of the collections and be proud of them, he said. Foreigners laid covetous eyes on these pieces and as such they must be on their guard.

Mr. V. Lakshminathan, DRO, Thanjavur, presided. Mr. Rajaram Raja Sahib of the Thanjavur Palace, who is the heriditary trustee, pleaded that the 41 art pieces taken away from this temple to form the art gallery at the Thanjavur big temple must be returned as he had given those pieces only on the condition that they should be returned once the Archaeological Department took over the temple under its jurisdiction.