THANJAVUR: A group of researchers discovered a 10th century Chola-era sculpture in a farm field in Kamadevamangalam of Nandavanapptti village.
History enthusiasts Buddhar Jayapal from Budalur informed history researcher Mani Maran, Tamil Pundit of Saraswathi Mahal Library, about the find.
Then, he along with teachers Ramamurthy, Saravanan and Kannaiyan went to the spot and found a two-and-half feet Lingam made of granite in the paddy field. The owner of the land, Kamarajar, told them that he found the Lingam while ploughing the land.
On assessing it, the researchers predicted that it belongs to 10th Century Chola era. Meanwhile, they also discovered a small stone protruding from the surface of the field at around 15 feet distance from the Lingam. On further digging, they found a Dwara Balagar (gatekeeper) sculpture, measuring around five-feet.
Mani Maran said the sculpture could not be taken out. “The hands and legs of the sculpture are in a broken condition. The face is beautifully sculpted. As it is customary that temples have two Dwara Balagar near the entrance, the other one might be lying underneath the surface somewhere nearby,” Mani Maran said, adding that if excavation was commissioned in the area, many more sculptures might be found.