12th century statue unearthed in Karnataka

A 4.5-foot-tall statue of Channakeshavaswami, dating back to the 12th century, was discovered while extracting sand in Hemavathy river at Halebeluru village in the taluk on Tuesday. The discovery came to light on Wednesday.

The sculpture resembles the statue at the Belur Channakeshavaswamy temple.

Except slight scratches while lifting it with the help of the earth mover, there is no damage to the statue. It is said that the people who found the sculpture left it covered under the sand out of fear and then informed the authorities.

There is a Channakeshava temple in the village, dating back to the Hoysala period. Renovation works are in progress at the temple, which is in a dilapidated condition. The discovered sculpture has been kept on the temple premises. The residents cleaned the sculpture and performed puja to it.

Tahsildar H B Jayakumar and police officials visited the spot.

"The beautiful statue resembles those from the Hoysala period. This has been brought to the notice of the deputy commissioner. Further action will be taken as per his suggestions," Jayakumar said.

The residents have urged the authorities to hand over the statue to the temple after research by the department of archaeology and museums.