State has most number of stolen artefacts; none recovered
- At least 12 idols have been stolen from protected monuments in the State in the past six years, and none of them have been recovered by the police.
- Karnataka tops the list in the country that has seen 30 idols or artefacts being stolen from Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) sites, reveals the Ministry of Culture in a written answer to a Lok Sabha question last week.
- In a span of three years, a stone Nandi and a stone Ganesha were stolen from the Ramalingaswara temple complex at Avani in Kolar district. A stone Shivalinga was stolen from a Shiva temple in Thimalapura in Ballari district; while, the eight-armed goddess Mahishamardini was stolen from the Panchalingeswara Temple in Mandya is yet to be recovered.
