India
Three golden crowns weighing 1.3 kg adorning the statues of deities Lord Venkateswara, Sri Lakshmi and Sri Padmavathi were reported missing form Govindaraja Swamy temple in Tirupati.
Tirupati: Three golden crowns, collectively weighing about 1.3 kg, were reported missing from Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple at Tirupati, its officials said on Sunday.
The crowns adorned the statues of deities Lord Venkateswara, Sri Lakshmi and Sri Padmavathi at an ancient shrine inside the temple complex. They were reported missing on Saturday night, a security official of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) said, as per a PTI report.
Surveillance camera footage was being examined to track the culprits, he said. The TTD has also filed a complaint with police who have started a probe, he said. Police said they have registered a case but no arrest has been made so far.
An ancient Vaishnavite, Govindaraja Swamy temple is situated in Chittoor district. The crowns weighed around 1.3 kg, reports state.
On the day the crowns were noticed as missing, the temple was closed at 5pm for devotees and was again opened at 5:45pm. At this time, the priests in the 18 sub-temples of the Govindaraja Swamy temple found that the crowns were missing. However, there was no break-in reported.
It is the temple built in 12th century by Saint Ramanujacharya, dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
* With inputs from PTI
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