Ancient idols found in Cauvery river near Karnataka's Srirangapatna

The Archaeology departmen was urged to take steps to conserve the rare sculptures.

Srirangapatna (Mandya district): Four ancient stone idols of deities were discovered in the River Cauvery, near Doddapalya village, in Srirangapatna taluk, on Monday.

The idols of Veerabhadreshwara, Kalikadevi, Ganesha, and Nandi were spotted in the water, near a small hydroelectric unit, near Doddapalya village. Santosh and other villagers noticed the idols and successfully brought three of them to the river bank. However, the Kalikadevi idol was left in the river, as it was too heavy.

“The idols are carved from granite stone. They are covered in moss as they have been submerged in the water for many years,” said Girish, a village leader.

It is not known who placed the idols in the river, as there are no ancient temples in the vicinity of the discovery site.

Girish urged the Archaeology department to take steps to conserve the rare sculptures.

N N Gowda, curator of the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, stated, “We have just received the information about four idols of various deities found in the Cauvery River near Doddapalya village. We will visit the site and conduct an inspection”.

He added, “The idols will be brought to Sri Chamarajendra Museum in Srirangapatna town for conservation”.