Emerald lingam goes missing from temple in Tiruvannamalai

Sources said that as usual the priest locked the temple after darshan time on Sunday night and went home. The next morning when he came to open the shrine, the priest was shocked to find the doors broken open and some valuable articles missing.

Other members of the temple also rushed to the spot and after a thorough check found out that an emerald lingam, a silver crown, a silver padukai and a 5-headed snake idol made of silver have been stolen. On information, police personnel, who reached the temple, found out that burglars had gained entry into the temple by drilling a hole on the rear wall and decamped with the lingam and other valuable articles. Temple authorities claim that the value of the emerald lingam alone would be worth several crores of rupees.    

The tall lingam, a fairly big one, used to be kept well-guarded in the lockers at the zamindar’s palace. Every year, the emerald lingam would be brought to the temple during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December 15 to January 15) the for puja and worship. A large number of devotees from several places would visit the temple during this period to have a darshan of the lingam. 

As usual this year also, the idol was brought to the temple from zamindar’s palace and was kept in the sanctum sanctorum for pooja. But in shocking turn, some miscreants, who were well aware of this practice, have robbed the lingam, locals lamented.