Ancient statue of Lord Vishnu found in Krishna river has striking resemblance to Ram Lalla idol: Report

A centuries-old statue of Lord Vishnu, unearthed recently from the Krishna river in south Indian state of Karnataka's Raichur district, has features similar to the idol of Ram Lalla that was consecrated this January at the Ram Mandirin the northern holy city of Ayodhya, according to reports citing an expert.

The Vishnu idol features all the 10 'dashavatara' (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu, like the idol of Ram Lalla, news agency PTI reported citing the expert.

An ancient 'Shivling', a holy structure for the Hindu faith, was also discovered along with the statue in the Krishna river.

“This idol must have adored the sanctum sanctorum of a temple and must have been dropped in the river at the time of possible destruction of the temple,” PTI quotedDr Padmaja Desai, a lecturer in ancient history and archaeology at Raichur University, as saying.

IdolhasLord Vishnu's 10 incarnations

Speaking about the special features of the Vishnu idol found in the Krishna river, Desai told the news agency, “The idol of Vishnu found in the Krishna river basin has special striking features."

"The aura around Vishnu shows 'dashavatara' such as Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Rama, Parashurama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki.”

The professor further described the idoland said that Lord Vishnu has been depicted as having four arms and his two upper hands are holding the 'chakra' and 'shankha'. She added that the two lower hands are placed in the position of granting boons ('kati hasta' and 'varada hasta').

“Vishnu is depicted as having four arms with two upper hands holding the 'Shanka' and 'Chakra'.

"The two down hands are placed in the position of granting boons (kati hasta and varada hasta),” she said.

According to the PTI report, the lecturer said the idol has a striking resemblance with Venkateshwara as has been described in the Vedas.

“This sculpture is made of the Black Granite stone. It belongs to 11th century in the period of Kalayama Chalukya period,” the professor said.

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However, the idol does not have Garuda, Vishnu's bird, which is a characteristic typically found in Vishnu idols.

In the idol, a pair of women are seen holding fans. Even though Lord Vishnu is fond of decoration, the idol shows a smiling Vishnu who is adorned with ornaments and garlands.

According to the archaeologists, the idol is believed to have belonged to the 11th or 12th Century AD.

(With inputs from agencies)