My village is Patthai, a picturesque and scenic hamlet located in the foothills of the Western Ghats, close to Kalakkad in Tirunelveli district. Our Shiva temple is old and has been in a bad way for years. It has the usual problems of owning sufficient lands with no income from any of its holdings. It is an HR & CE administered temple. The principal deity is Kulashekaranathar and the goddess is Sugandhikuntalamba.
Some years ago, the bronze utsava idols were stolen and were fortunately found. Now they are kept safely elsewhere according to the HR &CE. Anyway, the temple does not have any utsavams with processions as it cannot afford it.
In the past few years, some of us have been keeping the regular poojas going through donations. Conceive our shock last month when we were informed that the stone idol of Ganapati was stolen. The police have promised all help. But it beats me how a large idol could be uprooted from its foundation and made away with. It also poses a question as to how safe the other idols are. I am enclosing a photograph of the Ganesa idol taken some months back.
I am sure none of my friends on the net can help, but this is by way of passing on the information.
Lets hope for the best to happen.. Some says திருட்டு பிள்ளயார் யோகம்
As you say, it doesn’t sound likely that the large stone idol was “stolen” in the usual sense. It must be an inside job, with the knowledge (if not active help) of the temple staff. It also sounds unlikely that such an idol can be worth much in terms of resale value (unless its bonafides can be established eg. worshipped for 100 years in xyzz temple) and it would only have “sentimental” value; so there are probably only a few local suspects ..
– Sreenadh
I just read that they recovered idols stolen from the Somasundareswarar temple in Tirunelveli after 6 years. Here is the link:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/21/stories/2010032155170600.htm
There is hope…:)