By Quaid Najmi Raigad (Maharashtra), November 24 : .On Tuesday’s auspicious Angarki Chaturthi, Diveagar’s ‘Golden Ganesh Temple’ got back its gold idol.
This idol was stolen from the temple after two security guards were killed in March 2012.
Tourists and devotees from all over India throng this picturesque, picture-postcard village, which is home to the temple’s main attraction, the golden idol.
On November 23, Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister, other elected lawmakers, villagers, and the temple trustees officially anointed the idol.The idol was recrafted using the gold of the original stolen idol to escape detection.
Mangesh Rane, a local activist, stated that the Suvarna Golden Ganesh Temple is located in Diveagar, a lazy fishing village, 175 kms south from Mumbai.It has an interesting past.
It was November 17, 1997, the day that Sankashti Chaturthi, the propitious day, was observed.A woman who was digging in a local farm found something solid in the ground.
They dug 2 feet deep with the help of other villagers and found an old copper chest with some Sanskrit inscriptions.
The excited villager opened the box to discover an ancient gold idol of Lord Ganesha that weighed in at 1.50 kgs.There were also 300 gms of gold jewels.
The capital of the Shilahara Dynasties, which ruled parts the coast and western Maharashtra during the 8th-10th centuries, was the location of the box.However, there are no official records.
The village saw themselves as blessed and decided to build a temple.They also installed the gold idol there.
It soon became a hugely popular tourist attraction, putting Diveagar at the top of the pilgrim and tourist lists.
“As the former Raigad Guardian minister, I had approved Rs 3 crore for the construction of the temple.
It is one the most beautiful and revered temples of Maharashtra,” Sunil Tatkare, Nationalist Congress Party MP, told IANS after the ceremony.
Tragically, however, March 2012 saw the arrival of a gang if dacoits, who attacked two security personnel and then decamped with the Lord Ganesh statue.
The issue sparked a huge political row that culminated in the Maharashtra Assembly resulting in the suspension of Opposition legislators (13 from Shiv Sena, and one from Bharatiya Janata Party) for a ruckus within the House.
As pressures mounted in different quarters, the Maharashtra Police established crack probe teams and was able to capture the dacoits from Aurangabad as well as other parts of the state.
Later, the villagers discovered that they had melted the original Lord Ganesh idol.The police also recovered all the gold within a few months.
After many years of administrative and administrative problems, a new idol was created using the original gold.It was ceremoniously installed at its rightful place Tuesday.
Many villagers were moved by the emotions of Ajit Pawar and Sunetra, as they performed the rituals with the temple priests to obtain their long-elusive and venerated idol.
A host of VIPs attended the event, including Uday Samant, Higher Education Minister, Guardian MoS Aditi Takkare, MLAs Bharat Gavale and Aniket Takare, Diveagar Sarpanch Uday Bash, Diveagar Sarpanch Uday Babat, Suvarna Ganesh Temple Trust President Mahesh Pillankar and Collector Dr.Mahendra Kalyankar, CEO Dr.Kiran Patil and hundreds of villagers.
Nilesh Uke, a local businessman, said that the village will once again prosper with tourists and pilgrims who are expected to flock there after the Lord Ganesha’s “blessings” return.
“Not only are the Diveagar villagers thrilled to see the new-look temple idol,” said Tatkare, Raigad MP.A special police outpost was set up here to prevent similar crimes in the future.
Pawar used the opportunity to announce several development schemes, including Rs 1 crore for the Diveagar Gram Panchayat, resume work on Mumbai-Goa Highway and establish a permanent NDRF Team.
He stated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi would ensure that the Raigad Government Medical College, which is due to open soon, will boost the fruit processing and agri-tourism industries, beautify beaches with more adventure sports, and other benefits for the locals.
(Quaid Najmi may be reached at: [email protected]
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