Pedestal at 12th century temple destroyed by treasure hunters in Vijayanagar

BALLARI: Treasure hunters have destroyed a pedestal at a historical temple at Thimmalapura in Vijayanagar district. The pedestal was outside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and was found damaged by villagers.

The Hosuramma temple is believed to have been built in the 12th century by the Vijayanagar kings and is close to the Venugopalaswamy temple. Some thieves have dug up the pedestal at the ancient temple in search of hidden treasure, the locals say.

Though the temple is under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India, the agency has paid little attention to its upkeep, leading to such incidents, locals said.