Ancient Vishnu idol found in Karnataka, details of ‘Ram Lalla’ statue similar to Ayodhya

An ancient idol of Lord Vishnu, containing his ten incarnations, was recently discovered at Raichur in Karnataka and has sparked enthusiasm among devotees. Archaeologists believe that the statue belongs to the 11th or 12th century AD.

The idol displaying ‘Dashavatara’ is eye-catching as its features are similar to the recently consecrated statue of Rama Lala in the newly constructed Rama temple in Ayodhya, PTI reported.

According to the agency, the statue of Lord Vishnu was found near the Krishna river in Raichur district, along with an ancient Shivalinga.

Dr Padmaja Desai, lecturer in ancient history and archeology at Raichur University, told the news agency: “The idol must have been part of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple where the deity was worshiped and must have been thrown into the river when the temple was likely to be damaged. of.”

Features of Lord Vishnu “Dashavatara” Idol

Desai also described the features of this particular idol and said that Lord Vishnu is depicted with four arms, the upper two hands holding “shankha” and “chakra”.

“The lower two hands are placed in the position of granting favors (‘kati hasta’ and ‘varada hasta’),” says Desai.

The lecturer also said that the idol is similar to Venkateshwara described in the Vedas. However, the idol found in Raichur lacks Garuda, a common feature found in idols of Vishnu. Instead, what is seen is a pair of women holding fans.

“Since Vishnu loves decoration, this idol of the smiling Vishnu is decorated with garlands and ornaments,” she added.

The statue is believed to be from the reign of Queens Rudrama Devi and Sri Krishna Devaraya.

What historians say about Vishnu idols

Historians estimate that the statues of Vishnu and Ishwara Linga found in the Krishna River are from the 12th to 15th centuries, and the statues found now are of Queen Rudrama Devi and Sri Kri During the reign of Hina Devaraya. Therefore, historians estimate that the idol found in the Krishna River may be the one installed by Krishnavaraa at that time.

During his reign, Vijayanagar king Srikrishna Devaraya defeated the Adil Shahis of Vijaypur and re-expanded the Vijayanagar Empire . Prior to this, the Adilshahi family had usurped the kingdom from Srikrishna Devaraya’s father.

Later, his father told Srikrishna Devaraya to defeat the Adilshahis of Vijayapur and recapture Raichur. According to his father, Sri Krishnadevaraya recaptured Raichur in 1275 after defeating Adil Shahis.

Also, the reason why these idols were found in the river could be due to a royal attack or if the original idol of any temple sanctum was broken and it was left in the water. But he said the idol found in the Krishna river had characteristics of a statue.