The burning of the Antarvedi Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple Chariot had sent shock waves throughout the hearts of devotees all over the country. Many senior politicians have also said that this was a direct attack against the Hindu religion itself.
Now, yet another atrocious incident against the Hindu religion has taken place in Vijayawada, or so it seems. Vijayawada Kanaka Durga is worshipped by millions of people all over the world, and the people of the Telugu states especially worship her very ardently.
Upon making thorough checks on chariots of all the temples in Andhra Pradesh, it came to light that 3 out of 4 silver lions of Sri Kanaka Durga’s Silver Chariot were missing. These 4 lions were adorned to the 4 pillars of the chariot, symbolising the lion, which is the vehicle of Goddess Durga.
The concerned officials have said that when they had removed the tarpaulin on the chariot while checking it, it came to light that these 3 lions were missing, and it is being said that the lions could have been stolen during the lockdown period. Many are speculating that these 3 lions have been stolen, and that it is an insider job.
Opposition leaders are especially of the belief that this is an insider job because there are CCTV cameras near the Kanaka Durga Chariot, but footage over a month old is not retained in the temple. Also, the EO’s statement on the missing lions is adding fuel to fire.
The EO of the Kanaka Durga temple said that they need to check the store room and stock register to confirm that the lions have been stolen, and the fact that he asked for 3 days to do that is raising a lot of doubts. Opposition leaders are saying that the EO is trying to cover this up by getting new ones made in the meantime, which is why he asked for a time of 3 days, when it only takes a matter of a few hours to check the store room and stock register.