On 7th February, an ancient idol of Lord Vishnu and a Shivling were unearthed from the Krishna river close to Devasugur village in Karnataka’s Raichur district. The idol of Lord Vishu in which all ten incarnations are featured around its ‘aura’ bore similarities to the recently consecrated statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir. It is believed that the idols were buried there to protect them from Islamic invaders.
The idols were found at the riverbed during the construction of a bridge on the Krishna River near Shaktinagar. The crew safely retrieved them and promptly informed the local administration. According to archaeologists who examined the discoveries, the idols date back to the eleventh or twelfth century AD.
Dr Padmaja Desai, an ancient history and archaeology lecturer at Raichur University, stated that Lord Vishnu’s idol must have adorned the sanctum sanctorum of a temple and must have been dropped in the river at the moment of the temple’s potential destruction. She added that the idol found in the Krishna basin exhibited unique characteristics and highlighted that it is surrounded by an arc depicting the ‘Dashavatara’ or ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, including Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Rama, Parashurama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki.
The Ram Lalla idol installed in the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya uses this design, the idol is surrounded by an arc with depictions of the Dashavatara and other gods.
Dr Desai elaborated on the idol’s attributes and noted that the idol portrayed Lord Vishnu with four limbs and in a standing posture. The two lower hands are in the gesture of bestowing boons (kati hasta and varada hasta) while the two upper hands are carrying the “shankha” (conch) and “chakra” (disk). She pointed out that the idol bore a resemblance to Venkateshwara as described in the Vedas.
“The standing posture of the idol adheres intricately to the guidelines set forth in the Agamas, resulting in a beautifully crafted representation,” Dr Padmaja Desai added.
However, it lacked Garuda (Lord Vishnu’s mount) which is often seen along with the deity in idols and other artwork. Instead, there are a pair of women holding fans. She informed out that this statue which represented a smiling Lord Vishnu is embellished with garlands and other decorations because he is fond of them.
She observed, “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.”
The stones used to carve the idols are green mixed rock, and it indicates that the idols could be from Kalyana Chalukya’s time. It is important to note that the statue of Ram Lalla installed in Ayodhya was made by sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Shyamal stone brought from Karnataka.
The Vishnu idol and Shivaling have been handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). More studies are being carried out on the idols.
