Stolen rare Shiva Idol to return after 22 years
An exquisite 9th century statue of Natesh Shiva stolen from the Ghateshwar temple in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan in February 1998 and recovered in London will be on its way to the ASI. Officials said that British authorities were alerted in 2003 when it emerged that the statue had been smuggled into the UK. They interacted with a private collector, who had it in his possession and later voluntarily returned it to the Indian high commission in 2005. Since then the statue has been displayed prominently in India House. In August 2017 a team of the ASI experts examined the idol and confirmed that it is the same ‘murti’ that was stolen.
Tiger photo exhibition organised in Jaipur
A digital exhibition was jointly organised by the state forest department and Jaipur Tiger Festival to mark the celebration in Rajasthan this year as the routine events are being avoided in consideration of social distancing. The exhibition displayed selected photographs captured by renowned Indian and foreign photographers. Showcasing the various behavioral and even unseen aspects of the tiger, these photographs took the viewers a little closer to the otherwise intimidating animal. The first prize of `51,000 was bagged by Abhijeet Sinha of Mumbai. Second prize `31,000 went to Mohammad Yasir Hussain from Gurugram. And Kunal Khivansara from Jodhpur got `21, 000 as third prize.
Rafale’s Rajasthan connection
As the first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft reached India on Wednesday, few were aware of the special Rajasthan connection. Among the five pilots of the Indian Air Force who brought these aircraft to Ambala was Wing Commander Abhishek Tripathi whose family lives in Jaipur, where he grew up and completed his studies. Abhishek was born in Jodhpur on 9 January, 1984 and spent his childhood in Jalore district where both his parents were then posted. Abhishek shifted to Jaipur in 1999. Abhishek later went on to do an MSc from JNU.
Gehlot camp MLAs celebrate Eid in Jaisalmer
The Ashok Gehlot camp MLAs on Saturday celebrated Eid at a hotel in Jaisalmer. On Saturday, the 8 MLAs read their prayers at the hotel. On Monday, the MLAs will also celebrate Rakhi festival in the Jaisalmer resort. Amid political crisis in Rajasthan, MLAs of the Ashok Gehlot camp were shifted to Jaisalmer from Jaipur on Friday afternoon. After staying at the luxurious Fairmont Hotel, the MLAs were flown to Jaisalmer by a special flight where they will be kept till they return for the Assembly session on August 14.