<p class="title">In an astonishing find, a rare sixth-century granite idol of 'Lajja Gauri' has been discovered fixed on a road in Barkur village of Udupi district, according to information furnished by Dr Shivakant Bajpai, Superintending Archaeologist of ASI Bengaluru Circle.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Lajja Gauri is depicted in nude form and is said to be a fertility symbol. The idol is rare, though very popular among certain cults.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dr Shivakant Bajpai, who is on a tour of the coastal districts, said that he first came across the image when it went viral on social media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He subsequently traced it to a public road in Barkur, which is an ancient historical town of coastal Karnataka. It was the ancient capital of the Alupa kingdom and a seat of power for several centuries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“This is a very important idol and hundreds of vehicles pass over it every day. We are rescuing it and I have issued an order to my local in-charge to keep it in safe custody. I have also sent a mail in this regard to the deputy commissioner and SP of the district,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idol is likely to be of the 6th or 7th century, though further study is required to confirm a date, said Dr Bajpai.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wikipedia describes Lajja Gauri as a lotus-headed Hindu Goddess associated with abundance, fertility and sexuality, sometimes euphemistically described as Lajja ('modesty').</p>
<p class="title">In an astonishing find, a rare sixth-century granite idol of 'Lajja Gauri' has been discovered fixed on a road in Barkur village of Udupi district, according to information furnished by Dr Shivakant Bajpai, Superintending Archaeologist of ASI Bengaluru Circle.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Lajja Gauri is depicted in nude form and is said to be a fertility symbol. The idol is rare, though very popular among certain cults.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dr Shivakant Bajpai, who is on a tour of the coastal districts, said that he first came across the image when it went viral on social media.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He subsequently traced it to a public road in Barkur, which is an ancient historical town of coastal Karnataka. It was the ancient capital of the Alupa kingdom and a seat of power for several centuries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“This is a very important idol and hundreds of vehicles pass over it every day. We are rescuing it and I have issued an order to my local in-charge to keep it in safe custody. I have also sent a mail in this regard to the deputy commissioner and SP of the district,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idol is likely to be of the 6th or 7th century, though further study is required to confirm a date, said Dr Bajpai.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Wikipedia describes Lajja Gauri as a lotus-headed Hindu Goddess associated with abundance, fertility and sexuality, sometimes euphemistically described as Lajja ('modesty').</p>
