Himansu S.
Sahoo (Bhubaneswar, November6 ) http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/071101/detNAT07.asp

Ornaments and other valuable s worth about Rs 15 lakh were stolen from the 11th century Lingaraj temple on Monday night. The temple complex has been classified as a 'protected site' by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Despite the presence of two-armed securitymen of the ASI and two constables of the local police, miscreants broke open four wooden doors of the temple with the help of iron rods.

Revenue and Law minister Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, who visited the spot accompanied by the district magistrate and senior officials of the ASI, has ordered a probe into the incident.

The police and district administration have sealed the complex for investigations. One of the stolen items, a silver face of God Damodar, worth about Rs 1 lakh, was recovered from an abandoned well in the backyard of the temple. The police remains clueless
about the other items. No arrests have been made so far.

The stolen items include 9 kg of silver ornaments, nearly 150 gm of gold ornaments, costly garments of the deities and an American-diamond attached to a half-moon metal plate on the Shivalinga of Lord Lingaraj. Four other temples inside the complex, the Bhubaneswari temple, Kashi Viswanath, Parvati and Sivakali temple, from where the miscreants have taken away all the ornaments, were also sealed.

"The involvement of Sevayats (temple priests) in the crime could not be ruled out, " SP Arun Sarangi said.

DGP N.C. Padhi, who visited the spot to direct a thorough inquiry, said that interrogation of various officials and Sevayats of the temple was being done.

Speaking about the vulnerability of the temple to thefts as well as terrorist attacks, executive officer of Lingaraj temple management Ramakant Mishra said that there was no permanent security arrangement for the temple, except the deployment of two
ASI constables. This when there is a requirement for at least three assistant sub-inspectors and about 15 armed constables to guard all the temples in the premises, Mishra said.