11th Century Ganesha idol smashed in Chhattisgarh

Bhopal: An 11th century Ganesha idol built at a height of 2,994 ft from sea level over Dholkal  hilltop under Bailadila mountain range in Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar district of Dantewada, one of the high altitude open temples of India, has been “pulled off” by mischievous elements and found broken into pieces at the foothill, officials said on Friday.

The shocking incident has also triggered outrage not only among the local tribal devotees but also among the archaeologists in Chhattisgarh. It was one of key tourist destinations of Chhattisgarh.

Known as “Dantewada’s wonder”, the 3.5ft long idol, built by erstwhile Chindak Nagvami dynasty ruling the region in 10-13th century, was the only “surviving adventurous archaeological monument” in the country.

“It is a shocking incident. It was the only surviving adventurous archaeological monument in the country since it still has been riddled with mystery as to how such a giant idol could be chiseled and installed at a hilltop having virtually no passage from the ground.

An extremely steep narrow and unusable passage leads to the hilltop where the exquisitely built idol, made of black granite, was installed overlooking entire Dantewada district”, archaeologist Atul Kumar Pradhan said on Friday.

The picture of hilltop open temple sans idol has gone viral through WhatsApp prompting Dantewada district collector Sourav Kumar to rush to the spot on Friday. An early probe has blamed Naxals operating in the region.