TIRUCHY: A green granite Shiva idol (lingam) kept in the sanctum sanctorum of the centuries-old Kasi Viswanathar temple at Ilaiyur in Ariyalur district was allegedly stolen in the early hours of Thursday.
This is the second time in eight years that the idol of the HR&CE temple near Jayankondam has been reported stolen. According to the Jayankondam police, the idol at the 250-year-old temple was found missing when the temple priest arrived to open the shrine around 4.30 am.
Taking advantage of the night hours, the thieves stole the temple keys while the night security guard, Kaliya Perumal, was asleep near the temple gate, opened the sanctum sanctorum and removed the idol.
Based on a complaint lodged by the temple's Executive Officer, M Sivaneya Selvan, the Jayankondam police registered a case and began investigation. While senior police officials inspected the spot, CCTV footage from the temple and its surrounding areas is being examined.
The footage from cameras on the premises of the temple, however, was too dark to identify any suspects. Fingerprint samples have also been lifted from the premises. A senior police official said that the Shiva lingam - made of green granite and measuring about a one-and-a-half feet in height - had earlier been stolen in July 2017.
"The idol was later found abandoned near the temple gate and placed back in the temple in 2018. At that time, the temple had neither CCTV surveillance nor a designated guard," the official told TNIE. Further, the police clarified that contrary to the widespread belief among villagers that the idol was made of emerald, it was actually carved from green granite.