Krishna idol adorned with ornaments worth crores in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior

The idols of Lord Krishna and Radha were adorned with ornaments made of gold and precious stones, collectively worth around Rs eight crore, at a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior amid tight security on the occasion of Janmashtami, an official said.

Devotees, however, were not allowed to enter this temple- Gopal Mandir, located in Phool Bagh area of the city- this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, but TVs were installed outside the premises for them to watch the decorated idols, he said.

These ornaments, donated by the Scindias, the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, are generally kept in the bank lockers and are brought out only on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami every year to beautify the idols.

The Gwalior Municipal Corporation (GMC) is the custodian of these ornaments.

GMC commissioner Sandeep Makin said these ornaments, and silver utensils were brought out from the bank locker on Wednesday morning under police protection.

"After worshipping, the idols of Radha and Krishna were adorned with these ornaments and jewellery of gold and precious stones. The estimated cost of these ornaments and utensils is worth Rs eight crore," he said.

These ornaments included necklaces of pearls and emeralds besides a crown studded with topaz and ruby weighing around three kgs, among others.

CCTV cameras and police force were deployed to protect the temple in view of this annual ritual, Makin said.

"These ornaments and other valuables will be kept in the district treasury after 1 am, during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday after midnight prayers at the temple," Makin said.

In the morning, these ornaments will again be deposited in the bank locker, he said.

According to Makin, due to the coronavirus, the devotees are not allowed to enter the temple this year, but the live streaming of the adorned idols is available on Facebook.