PATNA: Three artefacts, including a silver canopy kept inside the sanctum sanctorum of the ancient Mundeshwari temple in Kaimur district, the oldest recorded Hindu temple in Bihar, was stolen on Thursday night. The temple, an ASI-protected monument, is one of the oldest living monuments in the country.

The miscreants also took away ‘tikuli’ made of silver and two eyes of a goddess idol placed in a corner of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. A ‘chaturmukhi Shivlinga’ adorns the sanctum sanctorum. An FIR has been lodged with Bhagwanpur police station in Kaimur district.

Pundit Raj Mohan Upadhyay of BHU had donated the canopy to the temple only 10 days back.

Immediately after the incident, Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts’ chairman Acharya Kishore Kunal informed the DGP and Kaimur DM about the theft. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has also been informed, Kunal told TOI. “We are not ruling out the involvement of a local gang,” he said.

A team of the state forensic laboratory, along with a dog squad, will reach the temple on Saturday to probe the matter. This is the second incident of theft at the temple which is without any boundary wall. Incidentally, two ASI attendants are deployed at the site to safeguard the property. A heap of temple materials along with large number of idols still lies scattered on the temple premises.

The famous Shivlinga (7th century AD) of the temple was stolen some years back and recovered only due to the pressure of local residents, Kunal said.

Due to delay in obtaining forest clearance for the temple area, the ASI has not been able to start construction work at the temple. “We have been trying for clearance, but till date we have not got green signal. Construction of boundary wall is urgently needed to protect the temple as well as its antiquities,” Kunal said and added that he would be leaving for the spot on Sunday to take stock of the situation.