RAIPUR, INDIA, January 28, 2017 (Times of India): A 1,100-year-old Ganesha statue located atop Dholkal hill in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, fell from a height of 13,000 feet and broke into pieces in the dense forest area dominated by the Maoists. Experts and conservationists term this a major blow to archaeology.
Bastar police believe Maoists pushed the statue off the hill to destroy it in an attempt to stop development works and prevent visitors in the area where they have a strong presence as the incident took place after the recent government announcement to sanction US$294,000 for developing the area as a tourist spot.
With information about the missing statue spreading like wildfire, pictures of the spot went viral on the social media amid speculation that the 10th century statue was stolen. Later, a group of people launched a search and finally found pieces of the historic statue scattered at the foothill. The 1,100 year old Ganesha statue was discovered 5 years ago by a local journalist, who reached the Dholkal hilltop in 2012. Located atop of Dhol-shaped hill called Dholkal, the six-foot statue belonged to Nagvanshi dynasty of 9th or 10th century.