Rare Lord Vishnu idols unearthed

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 5

Three rare sculptures of Lord Vishnu dating back to the 12th century AD have been unearthed at the Semthan area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir.

The idols were unearthed by a team of the Department of Archives Archaeology and Museums at Semthan archaeological site last month and were being examined by experts.

Director, Archives, Archaeology and Museums Mohammad Shafi Zahid, who led the team that unearthed the idols, said the discovery was significant for heritage and art lovers.

“Semthan is an ancient archaeological site that dates back to 2, 500 BC. In the past, various archaeological objects have been discovered by the department from the same site and unearthing of these Lord Vishnu idols is significant for the heritage and art lovers of the country,” he said.

While one idol is without a face, another shows Lord Vishnu riding an elephant. Giving further details of the discovery, Zahid said: “One sculpture is without face, legs and arms. The bust of the statue of Lord Vishnu measures 13 inches by four inches with a depth of 2.5 inches. These sculptures date back to 12th century AD. It belongs to ‘Kashmir School of Sculpture’ as a dagger is clearly depicted in the belt of one of the sculpture. Another idol has two fragmentary sculptures wearing war dresses riding an elephant.”

He said after unearthing the idols at Semthan near Bijbehara, these had been taken to the SPS Museum, Srinagar, for documentation and its preservation besides display.