French Archives in Pondicherry Lead India's Fight to Recover Stolen Temple Idols

• The Institut Francais de Pondichery (IFP) and Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient (EFEO) archives are crucial in recovering stolen Indian temple idols.
• Their extensive documentation since the 1950s provides legal proof of provenance, actively aiding CID's idol wing.
• The recent return of the 16th-century Tirumangai Alvar statue by the Ashmolean Museum highlighted IFP's vital role.
• IFP is developing an AI app with Chennai Mathematical Institute to track stolen antiquities by matching archive images with artifacts.
• Detailed archival methods, including ledgers and preserved negatives, are invaluable against smugglers who alter idols to evade tracing.