The 10th century idol of Lord Ganesha atop Dholkal hills of Dantewada district in insurgency-infested Bastar region of Chhattisgarh which was allegedly pushed down by unidentified miscreants some time back in a deep valley and restored to its past glory has hogged global attention.
Thanks to personal interest and concern displayed by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh who had directed the Dantewada District administration and the security forces after the incident to ensure that the idol gets restored in record time whose remains had fallen down atleast 1500 feet below in the valley.
The episode had hogged international attention with extensive support shown by people on social media to see the idol restored at the earliest considering not just the age of the idol but also its importance as one of India’s key archaeological asset.
It may be recalled that the unique discovery of 1,000-year-old Ganesha idol located atop the Dholkal hills in the interiors of Maoist hotbed South Bastar was made in January 2013 .
After the idol was found missing from its place, a team headed by Dantewada District Collector Saurabh Kumar and Dantewada Superintendent of Police Kamalochan Kashyap had later found the idol broken into several pieces far down below the hill in a valley.
The matter came to light when a group of youngsters reached Dholkal hill to visit the place which had lately become a prominent tourist spot for the visitors . The visitors were shocked when they did not find the ancient Ganesha idol at the top of the hill.
They had immediately informed the villagers regarding missing of the idol which created stir among them. The locals are suspecting that it could be either handiwork of some miscreants or Maoists.