A rare granite idol of Lajja Gauri has been found fixed on the road in Barkur village of Udupi district, according to information furnished by Shivakant Bajpai, Superintending Archaeologist of ASI Bangalore Circle. It is believed to be from the sixth century.
Lajja Gauri is said to be a fertility symbol. The idol is rare, though very popular among certain cults.
Dr. Bajpai, who is on a tour of the coastal districts, said that he first came across the image when it went viral on social media.
He subsequently traced it to a public road in Barkur, which is an ancient historical town of coastal Karnataka.
It was the ancient capital of the Alupa kingdom and a seat of power for several centuries. “This is a very important idol and hundreds of vehicles pass over it every day. We are rescuing it and I have issued an order to my local in-charge to keep it in safe custody. I have also sent a mail in this regard to the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of the district,” he said.
