Newly-built Ram Mandir looted in Odisha

Miscreants allegedly looted the newly-built Ram Temple atop the Giri-Govardhan hill at Fatehgarh in Odisha's Nayagarh district on Tuesday night.

The matter came to the fore when the temple priest arrived at the temple to do the morning rituals on Wednesday. He reportedly saw the main door of the temple open and the ‘Hundi’ (Donation Box) inside the temple wiped clean.

The miscreants allegedly broke open the main door, broke the hundi and fled with gold, silver jeweller and cash from it.

The temple committee informed the Fatehgarh police which has launched a probe in this connection, informed sources.

While the exact worth of stolen jewellery and cash is yet to be known, it is suspected that the amount could be in lakhs.

Neither the Temple committee members nor the police were available for comments in this connection.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Ram temple at Fatehgarh was inaugurated on January 22, the same day as the Consecration ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Mandir.

The temple is located atop the Giri-Govardhan hill and was constructed using the 'Baulamala' stone. The construction of the temple began in 2017. It is located 1,800 feet above the sea level while the height of the temple is 165 feet.

The idea of the Ram Temple in the district has historical significance. Lord Govardhan has been worshipped on this mountain for decades. Moreover, in 1912, during the Nabakalebar of Lord Jagannath, Lord Sudharshan's tree was collected from Fatehgarh. To commemorate this, the villagers took an initiative and formed a committee - Shri Ram Seva Parishad.

In similar incident, miscreants allegedly looted lakhs of rupees from the donation box at Panchalingeswar temple in Balasore. Police have reportedly launched a probe in this connection.