11th century Jain idols unearthed in Karnataka's Mysuru

An official said that the 11th century Jain idols were unearthed during the excavation work of sewerage at Varuna village of Mysuru. Soon after the incident, the villagers informed the Department of Archeology and Heritage after which a team of officials visited the spot to examine the idols.

Mysuru: In a rare archaeological find, ancient Jain idols reportedly dating back to the 11th century have been unearthed during sewerage work at a village in Karnataka's Mysuru district, official sources said. It is learnt that the ancient idols were found on the 26th of last month during sewerage work in Varuna village of Mysuru.

One of the idols is believed to be of Kushmandini and the second one of Jain Tirthankara. Besides, a head of another idol has also been found during the excavation work of the sewerage work, sources said. Historians have said that these idols belong to the Ganga and Hoysala era around the 11th century. Following their unearthing, the idols were sent to the government museum at Wellington Bhavan in Mysore, where further research was carried out by experts.

An official said that the idols were found while the bulldozers were carrying out the excavation work for the sewerage project. As soon as the idols were unearthed, the villagers immediately stopped the work and reported the matter to the Department of Archeology and Heritage in Mysore. Soon, a team headed by Manjula, Deputy Director of the Department, Prof Rangaraju, a historian and heritage expert, arrived at the spot and conducted an inspection.

Historian Prof NS Rangaraju while talking to ETV Bharat said the three Jain idols were found in a broken condition. “Kushmandini Devi's hand is broken. Another Jain Tirthankar's idol's hands and feet were also broken. Besides, a head of another head has also been found. It is possible that there was damage by the JCB during the work. These are traces of Hoysala temples in these villages during Ganga and Hoysala times." Prof Rangaraju said.

He said that if more excavation is done at the place where the idols were found, many more idols can be found. The historian informed that Talakadu, Hemmige, Mooguru, T Narasipur, Varakudu, Varuna, Vajamangala, Mysore outskirts, Kumarabidu were the main Jain villages during Ganga's rule in Talakad near T Narasipur.

“They used this route to go to Shravanabelagola. There were Jain idols on the way," he informed.