PANJIM, SEPT 21
The theft of an ancient hero-stone (viragal) from the Nagve village of Sattari taluka was a priceless 13th Century masterpiece of the Kadamba era. History researcher, archaeologist and my student Varad Sabnis, who wrote a dissertation on the hero stones of Goa, conducted a detailed study of this ancient viragal of Nagve and dated it to the Kadamba era circa 12 to 13 century AD.
The viragal, Goa's connection with the socio-cultural and political past of the Kadamba era, went missing from Nagve. This was reported by Sanket Naik of the Itihas Sanshodhan Mandal.
The missing relic was of immense heritage value, and might have attracted antique smugglers. There is an organised antique smuggling racket in Goa, which needs to be tracked down and busted.
If the government takes no action to trace the culprits involved in the antique theft at Nagve, it will set a precedent and send a clear signal to antique smugglers that the authorities don’t care. This will encourage further crime.
All unnotified sculptures and antiquities are now in grave danger. It is time the government acts and puts an end to the loss of antiques from our state. Viragals are rare and unique treasures of our heroic past.
The police and concerned authorities need to act on apriority basis and track down the culprits involved in this heinous crime.