Dholpur (Rajasthan): Villagers in Rajasthan's Dholpur district unearthed a statue while digging in the fields, which the Jain community claims is that of Lord Adinath, the first tirthankara.
According to Ranjit Singh, the sarpanch of Bhojpur, villagers unearthed the large statue rock while levelling the fields. However, Singh said that the villagers had initially mistaken the statue for a rock, as it lied unattended for several days.
A few days earlier, when the villagers moved the rock, they realised that it was in fact a statue of a religious figure.
The locals then got the statue washed and placed it near the fields. While many are unsure about the origin of the statue, the Jain community is convinced that it is of Lord Adinath.
As soon as news of the discovery spread, many jains flocked to the village to catch a glimpse of the statue, which is around 4-5 feet tall, and three feet wide.
Dhanesh Jain, a member of the Jain community, said that the discovery of the statue has brought about extreme joy to the community.
He said that the statue might be centuries old, and the community wants to build a temple for the statue.
With the district administration currently having the statue in its possession, the Jain community has requested that the statue be handed over to them.
The villagers said that this is not a new occurrence, as in the past too, they have unearthed statues while digging in the region.
Meanwhile, the district administration is making efforts to identify the origin of the statue, following which it might make a decision on whether to hand over its possession to the Jain community.
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