'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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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
