What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Stolen Lord Hanuman idol returned to Bihar temple after 29 years
It was a momentous occasion for the people of Gundi village in Bihar’s Arrah district as an antique idol of Lord Hanuman was reinstated to the temple from which it was stolen 29 years ago.
In May 1994, thieves stole the idols of Lord Hanuman and Sant Barhar Swamy from Shri Rangnath Bhagwan temple in Gundi village. The idols were composed of ‘ashtadhatu,’ an octo-alloy of eight metals including gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tin, iron, and mercury, making them valuable antique pieces.
The temple priest at the time, Gyaneshwar Dwivedi, filed a case against the unknown thieves at Krishnagarh police station. After an investigation, the police found the stolen idols in a well in the Choncha Bagh area, where the thieves had apparently disposed of them.
Since then, the idols were kept safely in the abditory of Krishnagarh police station until the case was disposed of in court after a long legal process. The Arrah Civil Court issued release orders for both idols, bringing much joy to the villagers who had been campaigning for their release.
Upon the release of the idols, villagers gathered in huge numbers at the police station and took a religious procession to the temple, where the idols were reinstated. Krishna Kumar Singh, the head of East Gundi village panchayat, urged people from neighbouring villages to join them in special prayers on the eve of Ram Navami.
“This is a matter of great joy that our beloved Lord Hanuman will return to his holy seat, especially as the festival of Ram Navami is around the corner,” said Singh. He added that the combined efforts of villagers and activists, including Acharya Kishore Kunal, former chairman of the Bihar Religious Trust Board, and Ajit Kumar Dubey, an advocate at the Arrah Civil Court, resulted in the release of the idols.
