Vadodara: Priests of the Mahakali temple on Pavagadh performed a puja and shuddhikaran (purification ceremony) in the temple on Friday. The temple trust decided to perform the purification after the theft as this was the first time such a burglary occurred in the temple. The temple management said the theft was like a ‘grahan' (eclipse), which is considered a bad omen, and hence they performed a puja too.
The temple premises, including the sanctum, were cleaned with water. The temple was closed to devotees at 4pm on Friday and will open at 6am on Saturday. Investigators had also visited the temple along with the alleged burglar, Vidur Vasava, late on Thursday night.
"We did a reconstruction of the theft. Vasava showed us how he climbed up to the temple from the rear side of the mountain. He saw the ventilation hole and got into the inner sanctum through it.
It took him 45 minutes to commit the theft and escape," a police official said. Vasava had allegedly entered the temple early on Oct 28 and stolen ornaments worth over Rs 78 lakh. Police tracked him down based on a tip-off and CCTV footage showing him driving his motorcycle near Pavagadh on the day of the theft.
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