oldchakra.com

Jagannath Deity Stolen from Puri Temple
[reprinted from http://headlines.sify.com/219news1.htmlJagannath]

Puri (Orissa) Nov 11

Madan Mohan, the ‘ashtadhatu’ (eight metals) idol of Lord Jagannath was stolen from Puri’s Jagannath temple on Sunday.

The early-morning rituals of the presiding deities of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra were suspended. The Madan Mohan idol is considered a living deity of Lord Jagannath.

Last week, jewellery worth millions of rupees from the eleventh century Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar were stolen.

Thousands of women who had been camping here since last fortnight to observe the "Kartik brata" were disappointed when they found the sanctum sanctorium closed.

Sunday being "Ekadasi" day, thousands of widows entered the temple early morning after a ritual bath for a darshan of the Lord Jagannath.

The pundits of the Mukti Mandap, the highest priest body of the temple, were being consulted to find out a solution to continue rituals in the absence of the idol.

CHAKRA 15 November 2001