Residents of Kaveri Nagar 2nd Stage panicked after they heard a blast at the Mariyamma Temple, also known as Durga Parameshwari temple in Banashankari on Sunday night.
The blast was caused by oil lamps at the temple, it is said. Speaking to Express, Corporator A H Basavaraju said a loud sound was heard at the temple premises at 9.10 pm. The temple priest, Mahesh Bhat, had locked the temple about an hour before after having performed mahamangalarathi. As a traditional practice, he kept small lamps burning in the temple before handing over the keys to temple officials.
“I was heading to my home at Konanakunte when people here informed me about the sound. I came back and checked and found that the main door had been broken and the four walls have developed cracks,” said Bhat.
The police said the blast was caused by oil lamps in the temple, which were placed in the ten-by-ten feet sanctum sanctorum that had only a small exhaust fan and insufficient ventilation.
City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar, who arrived at the spot, said,“No explosives were found and blast was caused by gas formation inside the sanctum sanctorum from the lighting of oil lamps.”
He said the police had sent sniffer dogs and bomb squads to the spot, but added that there was no need to worry.