Ancient Vishnu Statue Washes Ashore in India

PEDDA RUSHIKONDA, INDIA—Archaeologists from the Andhra Pradesh State Department of Archaeology and Museums were summoned to a beach in Pedda Rushikonda to evaluate an unusual object protruding from the shoreline, The Hindu reports. A three-foot statue of the Hindu deity Vishnu had washed ashore. The sculpture was broken in pieces, but experts recognized it as depicting Vishnu in the Janardanaya avatar, one of his 24 divine forms. In his broken and missing arm, the figure would have once held a conch, a symbol of the god’s divine authority which, when blown, was thought to produce the primeval sound of creation. The researchers estimated that the artwork was created in the thirteenth or fourteenth century, but not locally, since it was carved from granite. Sculptures from this period in North Andhra Pradesh were typically crafted from khondalite. It is likely that the statue once stood in a temple along the Bay of Bengal before it was tossed into the sea after it was damaged or broken, a common practice. “The idol’s journey through time and tides is fascinating,” said R. Phalguna Rao, assistant director of the department. To read about a 20-foot-tall statue of one of Vishnu's incarnations that was discovered during an archaeological survey, go to "Around the World: India."