Treasure hunt: Miscreants dig up an 800 year old temple in Belagavi

A group of trespassers
in Belagavi, Karnataka reportedly on the search for treasure, removed a Shiva
idol from an 800-year-old shrine last week. The vandals further dug up the
temple to 8 feet, with the motivation to land upon supposed treasure hidden
by ancient kingdoms.

After
registering an FIR on the incident, police have launched a full-blown
investigation to look for the miscreants.

According to police officials, the alleged group of hunters had entered the
Ramalingeshwara temple, located in the village of Nippani, on the night of
December 26, 2021. The shrine was built centuries ago, by the Kadamba dynasty.

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The miscreants allegedly also performed black magic, and some suspicious
remains were found the next morning by the temple priest. However, the group
of miscreants had reinstated the Shiva idol before planning their escape the
previous night.

The temple priest then informed the villagers about the supposed black
magic ritual, who then reported the incident to the local Kittur police
station.

Police officials added that as there aren’t any surveillance cameras in
the vicinity of the shrine, the only way to lead the probe is through narrowing
down the search through the mobile tower network.

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According to an official of the Archaelogical Survey of India, the
shrine is an unprotected ancient monument and so, the organisation had submitted
a report of the incident to the regional office.

The Archaelogical Survey of India is a
government led organisation that aims to conserve and protect India’s ancient
monuments of cultural significance. The organisation works alongside the Ministry
of Culture to ensure the preservation of archaeological monuments and other remains.

Belagavi,
a small city in Karnataka, is home to many temples, shrines, mosques and other
cultural and religious monuments. The key religious attractions of the city include,
Kamal Basti, a Jain temple, Kapileshwara temple of Lord Shiva, and St. Mary’s,
a gothic church.