Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture Ma Foi K Pandiarajan revealed last week that the government will soon work on creating an online repository for recording and tagging more than one lakh historically important antiques preserved in the state’s many museums.

The incumbent minister for culture Pandiarajan has been touring the state’s museums. Reports in local media suggest that he came back disappointed with the state of preservation, exhibition and knowledge level of the staff present in the state’s 36 main museums.

Apart from the sorry state of museums the state is also home to many temples that have lost bronze and stone works that are centuries old to international smuggling rackets. It is not clear if the hundreds of incredibly artistic and centuries old bronzes (dating back to Chola periods, nearly 800-1000 years old) would be included in the new repository.

The state will soon launch a heritage commission whose functions and responsibilities have not been reported yet. The government may also involve private companies to adopt heritage monuments so their maintenance can be taken care of

Information about the new effort to digitally record and tag antiques came out as part of a discussion following an MLA’s question in the Tamil Nadu state legislative assembly. The MLA, one Thangam Thenarasu, had raised the question of idol theft across Tamil Nadu and suggested the creation of a database of idols.