3 centuries-old Hindu statues unearthed at Manesar village; experts to examine

The bronze statues are believed to be 400 years old, but their exact age will be determined after a study, Haryana archaeological department officials said

Three centuries-old bronze statues of Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi were unearthed in Baghanki village, Manesar on Sunday when villagers were digging up the ground to lay the foundation for a new house, police officers familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The three statues, found in a Manesar village, have been handed over to the Haryana government. (HT Photo)

One statue is of Vishnu and another is of Lakshmi. The third statue is of both deities seated together, according to archaeology department officials. The statues have been handed over to the government.

“The bronze statues are believed to be more than 400 years old, according to our preliminary investigation. However, their age will be determined and established after we conduct a proper study. The statues will be displayed in our museum. We have examined the site where they were found and it seems they were brought to the village some 400 years ago,” said Dr Banani Bhattacharyya, deputy director of the department of archaeology and museums, government of Haryana.

Finding treasure

Prabhu Dyal recently bought a plot of land in Baghanki village. Last week, Dyal started excavation work with the help of a JCB machine to lay the foundation for his new house. During the excavation work, he found the three statues. According to police, Dyal also found a gold pot and a coin hoard, but these have not been recovered.

Police said that upon discovering the statues, the villagers wanted to build a temple on the site but due to a fallout between them and the landowner, the driver of the JCB machine, a local resident, informed the Bilaspur police station about the statues. “A team from the Manesar police station was sent to the spot and recovered the three statues. We alerted the archaeological department in Panchkula about what seemed to be very old statues and requested a thorough examination of them. On Monday, a team of archaeologists visited the spot and we handed over the statues to them,” said Surender Singh, assistant commissioner of police (Manesar).

“The station house officer of Manesar police station questioned all the labourers working at the site and the land owner but could not find anything else related to more recoveries,” he added.

Dyal said, “I was not aware I had to inform police regarding the discoveries. I thought I was the owner of the statues since the land belonged to me.” Dyal declined to comment on the allegations that a gold pot and a coin hoard were also found at the site.