Three of the four silver lions attached to the chariot belonging to the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam here were found missing.
The officials allegedly kept the issue a secret. Temple Executive Officer M.V. Suresh Babu told the media that they would verify the records and disclose the details.
The government ordered an inquiry by the Endowments Regional Joint Commissioner.
The chariot was one of the silver chariots of the devasthanam.
The temple authorities did not conduct annual procession of the presiding deity on Ugadi and Telugu new year due to COVID-19. The chariot was parked in front of the Mahamandapam last year. It was covered with a tarpaulin and was not inspected thereafter.
Commissioner of Police B. Srinivasulu discussed the safety of the devasthanam’s chariots in the wake of the burning down of the chariot at the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi recently. Later, during the inspection, it was found that the silver lions were missing.
TDP charge
Meanwhile, TDP MLC Buddha Venkanna expressed concern over the missing silver lions. “It hurt the sentiments of devotees,” Mr. Venkanna said in a statement. The temple EO was not giving accurate details, and the issue was not immediately reported to the police, he alleged. “The EO is apparently trying to protect the persons responsible. The culprits should be brought to book,” he demanded.
“Why are efforts being made to hide the incident and protect the guilty?” he asked.
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