8th century Parshvanath sculpture stolen in Medak district

There were ruins of Jain temples on the hillock. The locals, who used to see the black sculpture regularly, found it missing on Friday.

Medak: In a shocking incident, some unidentified miscreants took away an 8th-century Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism, sculpture from the Velpugonda hillock in Tekmal mandal. There was the famous Tumburishwara Swamy Temple on the hillock. The temple is believed to have been built during the Kakatiya era. However, there were ruins of Jain temples on the hillock. The locals, who used to see the black sculpture regularly, found it missing on Friday. The local cattle herders Brahamam, Sailu, and others visited the hillock while grazing their goats and found the ancient sculpture missing. Following the information given by them, former Sarpanch Narayana filed a complaint in Tekmal police station. The police found the mark of a vehicle’s tyres close to the place where the sculpture was placed. The sculpture was eight feet in height and a couple of feet in width. The incident left the locals and historians in shock. The investigation is on.

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