Chola period idols found near Pudukottai

The Hindu, 6 August 2006

PUDUKOTTAI: Four stone sculptures, believed to be from the early Chola period, have been discovered near a tank on the outskirts of Sithupatti village in Annavasal block recently.

The sculptures of `Nagaraja,' `Kaumari, `Chamundi' and `Maheswari' were found by the Curator of the Government Museum, Pudukottai, C. Govindarajan, during an exploration. The village, located between Narthamalai and Rapoosal, is around 20 kilometres from here.

The idols were found lying inside a bush close to the tank with a portion partially buried in the sand. Mr. Govindarajan said, going by the features, the statues belonged to the 10th century early Chola period.

All the statues are about two feet in height and one-and-a-half feet in width. The faces were flat with less ornamentation. The `Nagaraja' idol has a five-headed serpent behind the head. The right hand is in `abhaya mudra' and the left on the thigh. The four-handed `Kaumari' idol with `karanda magudam' has an `aksha malai' on the left upper hand with `sakthi ayudham' in the right.

The `Maheswari' idol with `jadamagudam' also features an `aksha malai' in the left upper hand and an axe in the right. The `Chamundi' idol with `jadabaram' has four hands. The right hand is in `abhaya mudra' and the left is placed near the knee. The weapons are not clear on the other two hands. All the statues are in `sukhasana' postures. Surprisingly, there are no temples in the vicinity of the site. The museum authorities have informed the district administration about the finding and sought permission to move the idols to the District Museum. The museum has 20 stone statues belonging to the early Chola period brought from Narthamalai, Kodumbalur and Thiruvengaivasal.