The idol belongs to the Pala dynasty (750 AD). To escape the tyranny of the Islamic invaders, people used to bury their deities under the earth or throw them in wells or ponds.
A three feet tall black stone Sun idol was found during an excavation in Bihar’s Saharsa district. The idol has lotus flowers in both hands.
Excavation is going on in the premises of Baba Mateshwar Dham Temple at Katho panchayat in the Saharsa district of Bihar. It was during such an excavation that the idol was discovered.
The idol has been shifted to the temple building.
“We have directed the local administration to ensure the idol is kept safe. We are writing to the department concerned,” Hindustan Times quoted Saharsa District Magistrate Kaushal Kishor.
“Fearing an Islamic invasion, people buried idols of their deity under the earth or immersed them in wells or ponds…that’s why they come up during excavation,” HT quoted Purnea University professor-researcher of history Naresh Kumar Srivastava.
Delhi University researcher Ripunjay K Thakur said the Sun idol belongs to the Pala dynasty [750 AD], and there would be many such antique statues in the Kosi area of Bihar.
In a similar excavation at Patuwaha village in 2018, a rare black stone idol of Goddess Saraswati of the pre-Pala era was recovered.
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