10th century

TV9 - 10th century Jain idols stolen from Mangalore temple : "Devara Kalla" - Full

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• published: 18 Jul 2013
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TV9 - 10th century Jain idols stolen from Mangalore temple : "Devara Kalla" - Full...! Thieves on Saturday cut their way into one of the oldest and holiest Jain shrines in Moodabidri, about 37 km from Mangalore. In the biggest heist of antiques in the history of the state and probably of the country too, thieves made away with priceless ancient idols from one of the oldest and holiest Jain shrines in Moodabidri, about 37 km from Mangalore. Police believe there were at least four thieves involved in the heist that is believed to have been executed at 1.10 am on Saturday. Of the eight CCTVs installed in the premises, two have captured only one person and that too, masked. The footage shows a person - the police believe 'him' to be in his early 30s - entering with a flashlight in his mouth and a cutter in his hand. The footage shows him entering the strong room - called Siddhanta Mandira, breaking open the glass enclosure and taking out each of the 15 priceless statues. What happened next inside the strong room is not known since the person smashes all the CCTV cameras on sight. Piecing together the heist, the police, which refused to come on record because ''it is a high-profile case,'' said the person entered the Mandira, popularly known as Guru Basadi, through the window, after the grill protection on it was cut open with the help of a gas cutter. The next barrier - a rolling shutter - was also breached with a gas cutter. There were in all 52 idols kept for public viewing. While all the 15 stolen idols are invaluable, Bahubali in a sitting pose is considered to be only one of its kind in the entire world. Three security staff members were on duty at the time, but the thieves still managed to get away with the idols made of gold and precious stones. They, however, left the ancient sacred Dhavala text, also considered priceless and kept right next to the idols, untouched. Jain scholar Hampa Nagarajaiah says the theft will have a huge cultural impact. ''The Siddhanta Basadi is one of the oldest in Karnataka and dates back to the 10th century. It is compulsory for all Jain temples to have panchaloha (alloy of five precious metals) statues. If they are stolen, it is like the temple losing its heritage.'' The thieves have left behind a small LPG gas cylinder, oxygen cylinder, a bag and an English newspaper. Manish Kharbikar, the Mangalore city police commissioner, said, "Fifteen of the 52 idols made of precious metals, including gold and diamonds, were stolen from the Siddhanta Basadi. We have vital leads and are in touch with the police from other states." Police suspect that the thieves could have conducted a recce of the basadi posing as pilgrims. Basadi sources say that the cameras were installed barely a month ago on the advice of Dharmastala Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade, following several burglary attempts at Jain temples. Historian and researcher Dr Chidananda Murthy said, "Irrespective of the nature (metal or stone,)of these idols, they are precious and are worth several crores in the international market as these temples date back to the 10th and 11th century AD. The idols will probably be sold overseas." Murthy says basadis fall easy victim as they do not have security. He said, "Unlike other temples, Jain temples hardly have any security and this could be one of the reasons why miscreants have begun targeting Jain temples. The police department must provide temples with security to safeguard the history and culture that has been retained through these basadis." Jainism in Karnataka The Dakshina Kannada region, comprising Mangalore and Udupi districts, houses more than 200 Jain basadis. As Jainism faded from the rest of Karnataka from the 12th century onwards, it continued to flourish in the coastal region for several centuries.