An ancient idol of Lord Vishnu was unearthed recently from the Krishna river at a village in Karnataka’s Raichur district, in which all ten incarnations are featured around its 'aura', sources said. The idol possesses features resembling the recently consecrated idol of Ram Lalla in Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Besides the statue, an ancient Shivalinga was also found in the river, they added.
The must have adored the sanctum sanctorum of a temple and must have been dropped in the river at the time of possible destruction of the temple, Dr Padmaja Desai, a lecturer in ancient history and archaeology at Raichur University said while speaking about the Vishnu idol.
This Vishnu idol found in the Krishna river basin has got special features, Dr Desai said, adding that the aura around Vishnu shows 'dashavatara' such as Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Rama, Parashurama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki.
What are the features of the idol?
Elaborating on the features of the idol, she said that Vishnu is in the standing position and consists of four arms in the statue. The two upper hands are holding the ‘shankha’ and ‘chakra’ and the two lower hands in the position of granting boons ('kati hasta' and 'varada hasta').
The idol resembles Venkateshwara as mentioned in the scriptures, the lecturer said.
However, this idol does not feature Garuda, which is usually found in Vishnu idols. Instead there are two fan-bearing women.
Since Vishnu is fond of decoration, this idol showing a smiling Vishnu is decorated with garlands and ornaments, she pointed out.
"This idol must have adored the sanctum sanctorum of a temple. The statue is intact barring some damage to its nose. The idol could have been thrown in the water to avoid damage to it at the time of a (possible) attack on the temple,” she explained.
Archaeologists believe that the idol belonged to 11th or 12th Century AD.
(With PTI inputs)
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