Golden roof of Ekvira temple at Karla stolen

Villagers living around Karla hill, near Lonavla, woke up to a shock when they noticed that the gold-plating on the dome of the famous Ekvira temple on the hill had been stolen. The Ekvira goddess is the Thackerays' family deity, and each year, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray visits the temple at least once.

The incident came to light at around 7 am on Tuesday. The trustees have approached Lonavala rural police and lodged a complaint.

Assistant police inspector Sadhana Patil, who is in charge of Lonavala rural police station, said, "The dome was stolen in the wee hours of Tuesday, between 2 and 3 am. The incident came to light only after the sun rose."

According to villagers, the gold-plated dome was made of a five-metal alloy and was donated to the temple by a devotee.

The temple area under surveillance of CCTV cameras and the police are checking the footage from for clues to the crime.

"Some security guards also deployed on the temple premises, We will be questioning them too," Patil said.

The temple holds a special importance for the Thackeray family. After the Assembly elections in 2014, Uddhav Thackeray visited the temple with 63 of his party's legislators to seek the goddess's blessings.

Earlier, in 2011, a gang of dacoits had attempted to rob the temple, but the bid was foiled by a policeman who opened fire at them. In 2016, a gang of robbers stole some ornaments from the shrine located at the foothills. Devotees pray at this shrine before they climb the hill to visit the main temple.