DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, May 5, 2016 (by Sherlissa Peters, IOL): Devotees of the Northdale Siva Nyana Sabha in Pietermaritzburg have been left devastated by a burglary which desecrated the temple. According to the chairman of the temple in Chetty Road, Sagren Phillips, the burglars smashed down the boundary wall between the temple and Ramatha Primary School at the weekend before stripping the building of significant brass Hindu murthis, copper pipes, a Yamaha organ, PA system and kitchen implements, including massive cast iron pots, the kitchen geyser and a double-door fridge. Phillips estimated the damage and losses to be more than R50000.
“It is a desecration of the worst kind, to disrespect such a sacred and holy place,” Phillips said. He said thieves tried to remove a huge brass statue of Hindu god Nataraja (cosmic dancing god). It is built in a granite structure, which the thieves tried to break down with an iron pick to remove the idol. “The statue is now bent over and damaged,” said Phillips, explaining that the statue had been brought from India in 1976.