A copper idol of Gautam Buddha was found in an agricultural field on Raibag Road at Nagarmunoli village in Chikkodi taluk on Thursday evening.
Shivamogi Krishna Bane, a farmer, found the idol while he was excavating his field to construct a pond to store rainwater for irrigation. He was thrilled when he saw the idol buried in the soil after digging a couple of feet into the earth. As the news spread, a large number of people from the village came to the spot.
Also, Chikkodi Tahsildar Chidamber Kulkarni rushed to the village in the evening and seized the idol and deposited it with the Taluk Treasury Office in Chikkodi town. He has informed the Department of Archaeology and Museums in Dharwad to ascertain the historical significance of the idol. Mr. Kulkarni told The Hindu that the idol was made of copper and measured less than one feet, around 8 inches in height. He could not throw more light on the idol stating that experts from the Archaeology Department would inspect and give their opinion on the idol soon.
