Another instance of a Hindu mandir being vandalized with the murtis of Devi Lakshmi and Devi Saraswati being broken to pieces by miscreants at Muniguda’s Bhagwan Shiva mandir has come to light. An OpIndia report says that the pujari (priest) of the mandir found the broken murtis in the morning and alerted the mandir committee authorities.
In addition to the vandalism, the jewelry of Bhagwan Jagannath has also been by the vandals. The temple authorities have registered a case with the Muniguda police in this regard. Both devotees and the mandir management have urged the police to take swift and strict action against those involved.
It must be mentioned here that Muniguda lies close to the Andhra Pradesh border where instances of Hindu mandirs being attacked and desecrated are on the rise in recent times.
In the latest incidents, Bhagwan Subrahmanya’s murti in Sri Vigneshwara temple in Rajahmundry was found in a desecrated condition while Sri Komalamma Paadaalu on Paderu Ghat road in Visakhapatnam agency area were found damaged.
Earlier the priests of Sita Lakshmana Kodandarama on Tuesday found the doors of the ancient temple broken. The murti in the sanctum sanctorum was beheaded and the severed portion was recovered from the nearby pond the next day.
These are not the only incidents. Last week, the Bhagwan Krishna temple in Darsi town was desecrated. Devotees lodged a complaint after finding flesh inside the temple and bloodstains on the walls on December 22. In September a ‘Nandi’ murti was vandalized in a temple in Chittoor district. A century-old chariot parked at ancient Antarvedi Lakshmi Narasimha Temple premises in East Godavari district was found burnt in suspicious circumstances.
The list is endless and while Andhra has been at the center of a raging controversy with suspected Christian evangelical involvement behind these instances of mandir desecrations, Odisha itself witnessed the theft of 22 valuable antique murtis in December. The theft took place at a 13th Century mandir dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva located in Odisha’s Khurda district.
Hindu mandirs are increasingly coming under attack and need better protection.
(Featured Image Source: OpIndia)
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