Valuable panchaloha idols retrieved from drain

Valuable panchaloha idols retrieved from drain

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Aug 6, 2011 : Two panchaloha idols were retrieved from a drain in Paiyar near Kaup, a short distance from the Lord Ranganatha Swamy Temple on Aug 5 Friday. The Shirva police and Vedamurthy Kenja Shridhar Tantry were present when the idols were being retrieved. Probably, the idols were hidden there by certain idol thieves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the idols is that of the serpent god with five hoods and the other is that of Lord Shrinivasa or Ammanavaru, say religious leaders. The serpent god idol weight 3kgs and the other idol weights 11kgs. However, historians feel that these could be the bali statues of Lord Vishnumurthy, which used to be worshipped during the Vijayarana Empire. Archaeologists say that the idols could be worth Rs. 50 lakh.

Locals informed the Shirva police that certain unidentified persons were frequently visiting the place at night when they were investigating an assault case in Sooryanagar. When the police explored the area with local people, they came across the idols. However, the idols were not brought out immediately, but only on Friday after consulting religious people.

The police are currently investigating the case under the guidance of K. R. Nayak, the house officer of Shirva.