Twenty-eight idols, including that of the main deity Dattatreya, were stolen from the Chandannath temple in Khalanga, the district headquarters of Jumla, on Saturday night. Some of the stolen idols are believed to be as old as 1,400 years.

According to the Chandannath-Bhairavnath Guthi Management Committee, the idols of Dattatreya, Buddha, Krishna, Mahakaal and a gold-plated steeple, footprints of the deities and a rare right-turning conch were among the valuables stolen from the shrine.

Chandannath, a revered Hindu temple, is a major tourist attraction in the Karnali region. It is said that Chandannath Baba, an ascetic, had brought various idols and installed them at the temple in 1855.

Gaurinanda Acharya, chairman of the trust management committee, said some of the stolen idols and bells had 601 BS (658 AD) inscribed on them.

Devotees and the local people demonstrated in Khalanga Bazaar on Sunday, protesting against the local administration’s “security lapses” in the area.

The temple is in front of the District Administration Office (DAO). The District Prison and the Armed Police Force camp are also nearby. The devotees termed the incident mysterious and demanded an urgent probe into the matter.

Police detained Mauleshwor, the priest of the temple, for inquiry. The priest told the investigating officers that he came to know about the incident only when he walked of his room to answer the nature’s call. The priest lives in a room on the temple premises. The locals suspect the crime to have been committed in collusion with the temple authorities. They picketed the DAO demanding the guilty be brought to book.

Security personnel have cordoned off the temple premises. “We will do everything possible to find the stolen images and bring the culprits to book,” said Chief District Officer Rudra Prasad Pandit. A police team with a sniffer dog has reached the district for investigation.