M A I N   N E W S

350-kg statue of yaksha stolen
Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, March 17
A 350-kg bronze statue of one of the four yakshas or guardian deities of Kurukshetra has reportedly been stolen from Beerpipli village on the GT Road.

SP Sanjay Kumar said though officials of the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) had lodged an FIR about the missing figurine on Thursday investigations could start only after the solar eclipse mela.

The cost of this 7-foot statue is stated to be in lakhs. The stolen statue was placed at a raised platform near the Saraswati bridge. Former Haryana Governor Mahabir Prasad had unveiled the statue on April 28, 2000.

Inquiries revealed that statues of yakshas were placed on the four corners of the holy city namely- Behar Jakh (on the Patiala-Kaithal border), Pokhar Kheri (Jind), Sinkh (Panipat) and Beerpipli (Kurukehetra).

According to the Puranas, two rivers, the Saraswati and the Drishadwati, known as Samantapanchaka, flowed in this region which was guarded by the four yakshas during those days. Four yakshas were named as Tarantuka, Arantuka, Kapila and Machakruka