Raj Sadosh/Abohar.
The 1200-year-old Jain Shwetamber temple located in the heart of Taranagar in Churu district became the victim of a major incident on Sunday night. Thieves stole 13 preciouses ancient Ashtadhatu idols from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. There were a total of 17 Ashtadhatu idols in the temple out of which 13 went missing. This morning, when priest Chainrup Sevag reached the temple for regular worship, he found the locks at three different places in the temple were broken and valuable idols were missing. The priest immediately informed the administration.
Police immediately reached the spot. During the investigation, some important clues left by the thieves were also found. A cutter tool and a train ticket to Rewari were there. The police are scanning the surrounding CCTV footage. Alert has been sounded across the district.
This Jain temple is not only a major center of devotees but is also considered a living proof of the ancient Jain tradition of Rajasthan. These Ashtadhatu sculptures are hundreds of years old and have priceless religious, historical and artistic value. The incident of theft has deeply shocked the Jain community. People are demanding better security arrangements in the old temples. The heads of the Jain community have appealed to police officers to recover the idols as soon as possible and arrest the culprits. Experts say such valuable sculptures are often the target of international art smugglers.
Taranagar MLA Narendra Budania said in a social media post that thefts are taking place from temples everywhere in the country. He urged the Chief Minister to take strong action.
