Idols, believed to be of 12th century, found in Palghar, Maharashtra

Three sculptures, believed to be of the 12th century, have been found in a tribal-dominated village here, a district official said on Monday.

Some residents of Jamsar village in Jawhar taluka of Maharashtra's Palghar district were digging a lake on Friday when they found the sculptures buried underground, Jawhar tehsildar (revenue officer) Santosh Shinde said.

The artefacts include idols of war heroes and a cow, believed to be of the medieval period, he said.

Shinde said he would visit the site and officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) would also be involved in the inspection of these idols, he said.

Some villagers claimed such idols have never been found in the area earlier.

The village has three lakes full of water, and their desilting and excavation may lead to finding of more such idols, they said.

Jawhar, a city and a municipal council in Palghar, is an erstwhile princely state located in the Western Ghats.

The tribal-dominated area is famous for its Warli paintings.

The Jawhar state was founded by Raja Jayaba Mukne in 1343, but its development was largely neglected by successive rulers.