Ancient Idol Stolen from Near Shri Jagannath Temple
Puri, 23/02/2024:
Near the south-west corner of the Shri Jagannath Temple, lies the ancient shrine of Kapalamochan Mahadev. According to legends, when Lord Shiva severed the fifth head of Brahma, the skull (kapala) got stuck to his hand. He was freed from this curse upon arriving in the holy land of Purushottam Kshetra (Puri). Hence, the deity worshipped here is known as Kapalamochan Mahadev.
Among the five Mahadev shrines within Shri Kshetra, these are revered as the Pancha Pandavas, and Kapalamochan Mahadev is believed to represent Nakula, the fourth Pandava. A sacred water body called Manikarnika Tirtha is also located nearby. According to the Madala Panji (temple chronicle), the temple was constructed by Ananga Kesari.
Unfortunately, despite the recent inauguration of the Parikrama Project and the implementation of stringent security measures, an ancient stone idol of Lord Narasimha, located in the premises of the Kapalamochan Mahadev Temple, went missing last night.
This morning (Friday, 23/02/2024), when priest Raghunath Panda opened the temple doors and was making his ritual rounds, he noticed that the stone idol was missing. He has since filed a written complaint with the Puri Town Police Station.
This incident has raised serious concerns about the security of other historical artifacts and structures near the Shri Jagannath Temple.
