Rare Shiva idol unearthed

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 24

A rare ‘ek mukh linga’ idol of Lord Shiva has been unearthed at Harwan on the outskirts of the summer capital. A team of experts of the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums is presently studying the unearthed idol that is believed to be dated back to 6th century AD.

“It is a rare ek mukh linga (one-faced) of Lord Shiva and this is a significant find. As per our preliminary findings, the statue dates back to the 6th century. Our team is presently studying the finding after shifting of the idol to our museum and we will also consult historians before drafting our final report,” Director, Archives, Archaeology and Museums, Mohammad Shafi Zahid told The Tribune.

The oval-shaped stone sculpture has a height of around 2.5 feet where Lord Shiva can be seen wearing ornaments.

Zahid, however, said the exact date could be determined only after the expert opinion of archaeologists and art historians.

He said Harwan was a well-known archaeological site where several ancient artefacts had been unearthed in the past as well. Harwan is particularly famous for its Buddhist site after ancient ‘stupas’ had been discovered in the area in 1925.

Zahid said a somewhat similar Shiva idol had been unearthed during an excavation at Kasbhayar village in Pulwama district in September 2004. The idol at Harwan was recovered during a dredging exercise in the area yesterday.

Meanwhile, president of the Hindu Wefare Society, Kashmir, Chunni Lal Bhat said the unearthing of idol pointed to the prevalent ‘Shaivism’ ideology from ancient times in the Valley.

“This is not for the first time that an idol of Lord Shiva has been unearthed. It points to the fact that Kashmir was always the abode of Shaivism and Shiva temples had always existed here from the ancient times. In fact, we go to the holy Mahadev mountain, considered to be the abode of Lord Shiva, from Harwan side only from where the idol was unearthed,” Bhat said.