At a little Channapatna village, a 1,300-yr-old find

Historians and epigraphists working on digitising stone sculptures and hero stones have stumbled upon a 1,300-year-old Vishnu idol at Kudlur, a small village close to Channapatna, a precious piece of heritage whose value no one was aware of. Until now, that is.

Experts say such idols, even though they may not be that rare, can throw light on the historical importance of the place where they are found and hence are a crucial link to local history.

The idol was found on the premises of Sri Rama Temple in Kudlur, and, probably, was being worshiped for a long time.

“The sculpture style varies with time. Based on this, we predict that the idol may belong to the Pallava era,” said P L Udaya Kumar, a heritage conservationist who is leading the project on digitising stone sculptures.

Noted historian S K Aruni said the "place and the era of sculptures help us understand a lot about the region".

"Idols, especially found in temples and shrines, would have been sanctioned by the kings during their era and that will help us understand the importance of the region during their reign,” he said

While such idols may be found in every village, many fail to identify their importance.

“People visit historical sites and learn about the history of the land. Our books talk about the broad history of the state. However, local history is what brings a sense of belonging among people. Such idols and scriptures throw light into the local history,” Udaya Kumar said.

If we fail to identify them now, they might eventually get destroyed, Uday added.

“For example, consider the Vishnu idol at Kudlur, it was moved from the shrine to the temple premises. In the future, if there arises a need to use up the space where it is kept, they might try to get rid of it. This way, we will lose local heritage,” Kumar said.

However, Aruni said awareness has increased now because of social media.

“Now, youngsters upload photos of sculptures on social media and seek answers from experts. There are instances where villagers have refused to surrender the sculptures to the government and insisted that it be retained in the village,” Aruni said.