A crown of Goddess Kali at the Jeshoreshwari Temple in Bangladesh's Satkhira, gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been stolen, according to reports.
The silver, gold-plated crown was stolen on Thursday afternoon, shortly after the temple priest had left following the day's worship. The cleaning staff later discovered that the crown was missing from the deity's head, according to Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star.
Prime Minister Modi presented the crown to the Jeshoreshwari Temple in March 2021, during his visit to Bangladesh.
Jyoti Chattopadhyay, a member of the family that has been looking after the temple for generations, told Bangladeshi media that the crown was made of silver and coated with gold plating.
The theft was captured on CCTV inside the temple, which showed a man entering the shrine and stealing the crown.
The stolen crown carries cultural and religious significance for devotees. In Hindu mythology, the Jeshoreshwari Temple is revered as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas spread across India and neighbouring countries.
Responding to the development, India expressed its concern over the theft and urged Bangladesh to investigate the matter and recover the stolen crown.
"We express concern on the incident and urge the Government of Bangladesh to investigate the theft, recover the crown and take action against the perpetrators," the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said in a statement.
The temple, situated in Ishwaripur, Satkhira, is believed to have been built in the latter half of the 12th century by a Brahman named Anari. He constructed the temple with 100 doors for the Jashoreshwari Pith. It was later renovated by Lakshman Sen in the 13th century, and eventually, Raja Pratapaditya rebuilt the temple in the 16th century.
During his visit, PM Modi had said that India will build a multipurpose community hall at the temple. He noted that it should be useful for social, religious and educational events for local people and also, it will act as a shelter for all at the time of disasters like cyclones.
