The biggest archaeological heist. 10th century Jain idols, 15 in - TopicsExpress



          

The biggest archaeological heist. 10th century Jain idols, 15 in all, stolen from Moodabidri. In the biggest archaeological heist 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 started at 1.10 am on Saturday and lasted three hours. 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 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, inside the 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 breached by again gas-cutting it and he was in the strong room. There were in all 52 idols kept for public viewing by the devout Jains who come from all over the world there. Three security staff members were on duty at the time of the incident, but the thieves still managed to get away with the idols made of gold and precious stones. Thieves, however, left the ancient sacred Dhavala text, also considered priceless and kept right next to the idols, untouched. While all the 15 idols are invaluable, Bahubali (Gommateshwara) in a sitting pose is considered to be only one of its kind in the entire world. According to the website jainheritagecentres, His Holiness Swasti Sri Charukeerthi Bhattarakha Swamiji, the pontiff of the Jain Mutt, Moodabidri, said the idol is made of a very unique precious stone and that the idol is shown only to Jains as it has been a tradition in Moodabidri. The idol constitutes a part of the vast collection of precious Jain idols stored in the strong room. He is quoted on the website that 'any kind of photography of the idols is prohibited due to security reasons'. He further mentioned that the head of the institution having Bahubali idol in sitting posture will always be in continuous movement and that is the reason for his and his predecessors frequent tours across India and the world. Incidentally, he is currently on a tour to the US and is cutting short his trip following the heist and returning home. Jain scholar Hampa Nagarajaiah says the theft will have a huge cultural impact. ‘‘The Siddhanta Mandira is one of the oldest in Karnataka and dates back to the 10th century. It was named Siddhanta Mandira to differentiate it from the 17 other basadis in Moodabidiri. It housed all the ancient philosophical Jain works including palm leaf manuscripts from the 12th century, hence the name ‘Sidaantha’ (philosophical). It is compulsory for all Jain temples to have panchaloha (alloy of five precious metals) statues. If it is 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. In CCTV footage, one person wearing a mask is seen gaining entry through the window and ventilator. The precious idols were stored in a huge showcase in a closed room protected with a grill and a glass door. A devotee can view these idols from a distance of five to 10 feet. We have vital leads and are investigating the case. We 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 the cameras were installed barely a month ago on the advice of Dharmastala Dharmadhikari, Dr D Veerendra Heggade, following several burglaries in the vicinity. Historian and researcher Dr Chidananda Murthy, said, "All these days, temples were prime targets of these miscreants and now they have begun targeting basadis as well. To the casual viewer, basadis may seem to have nothing precious but apart from the panchaloha idols, even marble and other stone idols of various theerthankaras are housed in these basadis. Irrespective of the nature 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." Nagarajaiah suggests the thefts of idols from basadis have taken different contours in recent years. "Centuries ago Jain basadis faced attacks from idol destroyers. In recent centuries it was theft for profit. Ancient idols fetched millions and all Jain temples in Karnataka, except for the ones built in the last couple of decades are hundreds of years old and so are the idols in them. Since Jain basadis also have metal idols, they are more often targets of thieves than stone idols which are not as easy to steal and transport. In recent years, idols from ancient basadis are being taken away and placed in new basadis, which is another kind of theft." 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 reason 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 According to historians, Jains constituted about 30 to 35 per cent of the population of the Karnataka region till the 12th century. The Digambara sect of Jainism has its origin in Karnataka. The Dakshina Kannada region, comprising the districts of Mangalore and Udupi, house 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. Before retiring for the day... Staff forgot to switch on alarm Abhaychandra Jain, minister for youth and sports, resides just a stone’s throw away from the basadi where thieves struck just past midnight on Friday. Only a few days ago, thieves had attempted to rob Chandra’s house. When the minister heard about the theft of idols from the basadi on Saturday morning, Jain was one of the first to visit the temple and take stock of the situation. Bangalore Mirror spoke to him about the state’s biggest archaeological theft. Excerpts: BM: Why didn’t the security alarm systems function? A week ago, on hearing miscreants were targeting idols in various temples, community members had decided to beef up security in our temples too. We had installed a bio-metric siren system at the temple. The manager, usually the last person to leave the temple before it closes for the night, was supposed to swipe his finger at the siren screen to activate it. But he forgot to do so and hence the siren did not go off when the miscreants broke into the strong room of the temple. The thieves spent almost three hours in the basadi and yet none were aware of their presence. What was kept in Siddhanta Mandira (inside Guru Basadi) and what is missing? Guru Basadi is a sacred temple of the Jains located in the heart of the temple town. There were several precious Jain idols of Jain theerthankaras that date back 400 and 500 years ago. Most were donated by Jain pilgrims in the past. The idols are made of precious stones. Each idol is valued at crores of rupees and is in great demand in the international market. The thieves have stolen 15 from Siddhanta Mandira. All these idols are considered to be sacred to the entire Jain community. The entire community is in shock as the main worshipping idol itself has been stolen. Is it the handiwork of professionals or some local operators? We suspect that this is the job of an outsider. Since the idols are in great demand in the international market, especially London, I suspect that the robbery could have taken place to serve the London market. Have similar thefts occurred in the past in this region? This is the first incident of this magnitude in and around Moodabidri. In fact two years ago, all the community members led by monks and seers decided to install their own security system. How much can we ask from the government? We need to look after our heritage on our own. You cannot demand everything from the government. In fact I promised to sponsor half the project. But because of leadership problems it did not take off. Had we got a system in place, this theft would not have occurred today. What measures are being taken now to protect idols in future? We are thinking of sealing all the entries except the main entrance and provide air-conditioning system. We have also decided to shift all the idols, except those that are worshipped, of theerthanakaras to a safer, heavily guarded place. But we cannot take the decision on our own. We are awaiting our pontiff Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swamiji to arrive from US tour. What did CM and home minister say about the incident? Ever since the incident came to light, I have been camping at the temple. I personally reported the matter to chief minister and home minister. CM has directed the police to quickly trace the miscreants. As many as 50 police officers who have previously investigated idol theft in various temples have come and investigated the temple to ascertain whether any of those gangs have been involved in the incident. Two hundred police personnel have been deployed around the temple. In about a week’s time we will set up a dedicated police check-post at the temple premises ensuring presence of cops all the time. Do you suspect the role of any insiders or persons from Moodabidri? I do not see anybody from Moodabidri behind the incident. The way the entire theft has been engineered reveals that it was the handiwork of some professional gangs. Police are now forming various teams to intensify investigation. Messages have been sent across the country to look out for the miscreants. The police commissioner of Dakshina Kannada is in touch with all police commissioners of various cities across the country to help track the miscreants.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 03:50:13 +0000

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