A sculpture of Umamaheswara made out of green schist and believed to be from the 11th century has been found in Sanyasibettu, near Maranakatte in Byndur taluk of Udupi district.
T. Murugeshi, Associate Professor at the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, MSRS College, Shirva, Udupi district, said in a release on Saturday that the sculpture is about 9 cm in height, 9 cm in length, and 4 cm in breadth.
The Umamaheshwara rides on a bull. The sculpture has four hands with the front two hands holding the ears of the bull, akin to holding the handle of a vehicle. In one of the two hands on the back, he holds a mriga (dear) in the right hand and the left hand is mutilated.
Mr. Murugeshi said that the Umamaheshwara cult was also known as Soma cult or Someshwara cult. It was said to be founded by Soma Sharma in Gujarat and spread across the country within no time.
