A statue that was stolen in 1971 from a temple in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, India has been traced to New York.

The 12th Century idol of Hindu goddess Parvati was found at the Bonhams Auction House, they said.

Police said the Tamil Nadu police's Idol Wing has "readied papers" to bring the idol back.

Over the past few years, India has amplified efforts to bring back idols and other artefacts which were stolen or smuggled from temples.

In February, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that "more than 200 precious idols" have been successfully brought back to India since 2014.

In 2020, the UK returned three bronze sculptures stolen from a Tamil Nadu temple more than 40 years ago to the Indian government.

One of the most stunning pieces returned in the past few years was a bronze Nataraja idol, which shows the Hindu god Shiva in dancing form. The statue, which was priced at $5.1m (£4.2m), was more than 900 years old and had been bought by the National Gallery of Australia in 2008.

The Parvati idol from Tamil Nadu that the police recently found was first reported missing from the Nadanapureshwarar Sivan temple in 1971.