In a shocking incident, a few women tourists, who visited the Srinivasa Sagara Dam in Chikkaballapura on October 5, were seen stepping on an idol of Goddess Gangamma Devi.
Srinivasa Sagara Dam, which is surrounded by mountains, is a popular weekend getaway for tourists, considering its proximity to Bengaluru.
ಚಿಕ್ಕಬಳ್ಳಾಪುರ ತಾಲೂಕಿನ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸ ಸಾಗರ ಜಲಾಶಯದ ಬಳಿ ಇರುವ ಗಂಗಮ್ಮ ವಿಗ್ರಹದ ಮೇಲೆ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟು ಸ್ನಾನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ವಿಡಿಯೋ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟೆ ವೈರಲ್ ಆಗಿದೆ.#Chickballapur #SrinivasaSagr #GangammaIdol
Read more here: https://t.co/1a1m9umwwD pic.twitter.com/zELflw6nUY
— kannadaprabha (@KannadaPrabha) October 8, 2025
A viral video taken by a tourist shows the women bathing in the water with some of them placing their feet on the Gangamma idol as support while leaning on the wall of the dam. It could not be verified if the women placed their feet on the idol inadvertently.
Pro-Hindu outfits have called it an act of desecration, saying the tourists have hurt the sentiments of Hindus.
The incident occurred in Chikkaballapura Rural police station limits. A case was registered under BNSS Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) based on a complaint, according to TV9 Kannada.
This comes less than three weeks after footwear was placed on the Lord Ganesha idol at Vidya Ganapathi Temple in Belur, Hassan, on September 21. Later, a woman identified as Neelamma from Guddenahalli village in Hassan was arrested. The woman, who was allegedly mentally challenged, entered the temple with her face covered but exited the premises without her slippers.
Srinivasa Sagara Dam made headlines in 2022, when a youth defied the instructions of the authorities and went ahead with a daring stunt. He tried to scale the wall of reservoir but fell from a height of 30 feet and was left with severe injuries. |
