Bhubaneswar, Jan. 25 -- For the people of Sonepur, the day marks an occasion of immense joy and spiritual fulfilment as a 42-year-long chapter of pain and uncertainty is finally nearing its end. The revered idols of Radha-Krishna, along with 12 other ashtadhatu (eight-metal alloy) idols, stolen from the historic Bada Gopalji Temple in 1983, are set to return to their rightful place.

The theft of the sacred idols had deeply shaken the town and left a lasting emotional void among devotees. Though the stolen idols were recovered a decade later in 1993 from Delhi Airport, they remained out of public worship for decades, preserved in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) storeroom in Bhubaneswar due to prolonged legal and procedural hurdl...