'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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chief accountant arrested near Nanjangud for embezzling Rs 2.5 crore from Dubai hotel
Mysuru: The Udupi police have arrested a 31-year-old Indian expatriate, Nagesh Poojary, who is accused of embezzling Rs 2.5 crore from a hotel owned by Dubai's Fortune Group while serving as the chief accountant.
Poojary, a resident of Barkur in Udupi district, reportedly siphoned off the funds in a phased manner. After initially securing bail from a judicial magistrate first class court, he went absconding following the cancellation of his bail by both the district sessions court and the Karnataka High Court.
Police arrested him near Nanjangud in the Mysuru district. Poojary was subsequently presented before a court, which has remanded him in police custody for three days, until October 16, for further investigation.
Poojary joined the Dubai-based Fortune Group of Hotels, managed by Kundapur hotelier Varkady Praveen Kumar Shetty, as an accountant and was promoted to chief accountant in 2022. In 2023, he returned to India for his wedding on a three-month leave, which he later extended. After his request for an additional 15 days was denied, he resigned via email.
During a review of the hotel’s financial records, the management discovered a shortage of Rs 2.55 crore, which Poojary had allegedly embezzled by creating false entries in the accounts to cover up his cash transactions. Following the cancellation of his bail, he evaded authorities.
The government recently appointed Shivaprasad Alva, a senior law officer from Mangaluru, as the special public prosecutor to handle the case.
