Eight ancient stone idols which were unearthed during sand quarry on the banks of the Cauvery in Thottiyam and Musiri in Tiruchi district over the past two years are now being shifted to the Government Museum in the city in a phased manner.
The idols, after following administrative procedures, are being handed over to the Government Museum here. The idols unearthed intact included a Siva lingam, two idols of Sri Ayyappan, two idols of Sri Ganapathy, one idol each of Sri Veeran, Sri Poorani, and Sri Pushpakala. A few more idols have been recovered, but are damaged.
One of the oldest idols was found at Adoor Majra Kottoor village near Musiri and it has been brought to the Government Museum here recently, after adhering to the standard procedure such as ascertaining that it does not belong to any place of worship. Further, since the process of shifting the idol from Musiri to Tiruchi involves a meticulous process, the museum authorities have to exercise extra caution for ensuring its safe shifting using crane and damage-free transit all through.
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The idol of Lord Siva measures two-foot tall and was recovered in tact, says Bharathiraja, curator of the museum. It is believed that the idol could have been either buried in the river bed or could have been washed away from a distant place, he said.
The bigger idol of Iyappan measures 5.5-foot tall and is seated on an elephant. The left leg is folded and the right leg is in seated posture. An array of flames are found around the head.
The smaller idol is two-foot tall holding a whip in the right hand. While the bigger idol is said to belong to 18th Century, the smaller one belongs to the 15th Century, he said.
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The idols of Sri Vinayagar are in usual form. One of the idols measures 2.5-foot tall and the second one, one feet. The idol of Sri Poorani, holding a flower in the right leg, is one-foot tall, he added.
The other idols, kept at the taluk office in Thottiyam, will be brought to the Government Museum here in course of time, he told The Hindu .