A sculpture of the height of 4 feet has of the Jain entity Mahavira dating all the way back to 12th century AD has been discovered in the Meyyur village of Thiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu. The sculpture’s distinct yet simple features, such as the three umbrellas, Ashoka creepers and a halo around the head help distinguish it as Mahavira. Scholars have also corroborated that the sculpture if of Mahavira who is the 23rd and last Tirthankara of Jainism.
A Jain priest by the name of B. Jeevakumar found the statue a few days ago. Jeevakumar has discovered well over 20 sculptures of Jain Tirthankaras throughout the state of Tamil Nadu.
The Thiruvallar region is said to have been inhabited by Tamil Jains, as per historian scholar K. Ajithadoss. Hence, ancient Jain artifacts and statues are scattered across the region.
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Additionally, T. Murugeshi from the MSRS College reported that a Vishnu statuette was unearthed from under 18 feet of debris in the ruins of a temple situated in Karnataka that was burned to the ground. The sculpture has blue coloured skin and four arms as depicted on Vishnumurthy in Tulunadu, part of the region’s Bhagavatha sect. God Vishnu is believed to be the protector of the Universe, keeping it safe from dark forces. The sculpture is currently going under restoration work at the MSRS College where it is to remain.
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