'Sheshshayi Vishnu' sculpture found in Maharashtra's Sindkhed Raja town: ASI official
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): An intricate and detailed 'Sheshshayi Vishnu' sculpture has been found during excavation work carried out by the ASI in Sindkhed Raja town in Maharashtra's Buldhana district, an official said on Sunday.
It was found at a depth of 2.25 metres when a team of experts, during the conservation work of Lakhuji Jadhavrao's Chhatri, spotted some stone alignments and then reached a temple base on further digging, Superintendent Archaeologist of Nagpur Circle Arun Malik told PTI.
"After the sabha mandap was exposed, we decided to check the depth of the temple, during which we found a sculpture of goddess Laxmi. Later, a huge sculpture of Sheshshayi Vishnu in its entirety was revealed. It is 1.70 metres in length and 1 metre in height. The width of the sculpture's base, which is yet to be exposed, may be 30 centimetres," Malik informed.
"It is made up of a chlorite schist rock. Such sculptures were carved in south India (Hoysalas). It is of Vishnu reclining on Shesha Naga and goddess Laxmi massaging his feet while sitting on a cushion. Samudramanthana is depicted in this sculpture and jewels of Samudramanthana like Ashwa, Airavat are also seen on the panel," he said.
The detailed and meticulously carved panel showing Dashavatara, Samudramanthana and Lord Vishnu reclining is the peculiarity of this sculpture, he added.
Iconography expert Saili Palande-Datar said the rock is schist stone, which is soft as compared to locally found basalt rock.
"Such sculptures were found in Marathwada earlier but they were in basalt rock. The sculpture of the donor couple (between Sheshnaag and Samudramanthan) is also carved prominently on this panel, which is its peculiarity. In the future, when an art museum is established in Maharashtra, this sculpture will be one of its masterpieces," she said.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
