Thief breaks into house in Uppinangady, falls asleep on sofa, caught

Udupi, Feb 8: A rare sixth century granite idol of ‘Lajja Gauri’ has been discovered fixed on the road in Barkur village of Udupi district, according to information furnished by Dr. Shivakant Bajpai, Superintending Archaeologist of ASI Bangalore Circle. Lajja Gauri is depicted in nude form and is said to be a fertility symbol. The idol is rare, though very popular among certain cults.

Dr Shivakant Bajpai, who is on a tour of the coastal districts, said that he first came across the image when it went viral on social media. He subsequently traced it to a public road in Barkur, which is an ancient historical town of coastal Karnataka. It was the ancient capital of the Alupa kingdom and a seat of power for several centuries.

“This is a very important idol and hundreds of vehicles pass over it every day. We are rescuing it and I have issued an order to my local in-charge to keep it in safe custody. I have also sent a mail in this regard to the DC and SP of the district,” he said.

The idol is likely to be of 6th or 7th century, though further study is required to confirm a date, Dr. Bajpai said.

Lajja Gauri is a lotus-headed Hindu deity associated with abundance, fertility and sexuality, sometimes euphemistically described as Lajja ("modesty").

Udupi, Jan 4: A 37-year-old Udupi district JD(S) spokesperson allegedly committed suicide at his residence here last night, police said on Saturday.

It identified the deceased as Pradeep G Bailoor (37).

He was working as the District JD(S) spokesperson for many years.

Mangaluru, Jun 24: An elderly woman who was tested positive for coronavirus yesterday, breathed her last at the designated covid hospital in the city today. 

The deceased 57-year-old woman from Ullal. Her final rites were held as per the guidelines issued by the district administration. 

According to sources, she was admitted to a private hospital in Thokkottu due to diarrhoea. She was treated in that hospital for eight days. 

Meanwhile, her throat swabs were sent for covid test. She received positive report yesterday. Hence she was shifted to covid hospital where she breathed her last without responding to treatment.