A local woman out for an evening stroll along the beach at Pedda Rushikonda on India's eastern coast recently stumbled upon a 700-year-old statue of Vishnu, Hinduism's supreme deity and creator of the universe.
K R DeepakThe 700-year-old statue of Vishnu that washed ashore on Pedda Rushikonda beach.
On March 21, something mysterious washed ashore on Pedda Rushikonda beach in Visakhapatnam, India: a centuries-old granite sculpture of the Hindu deity Vishnu. Standing just over three feet tall, the idol was found by a local woman out on her evening stroll.
The woman, Dipali Naidu, immediately alerted authorities to the discovery, prompting the Andhra Pradesh State Department of Archaeology and Museums to collect the statue for further examination. The statue was transported to the Visakha Museum the following day, with plans to put it on display in the near future.
The Granite Construction Of The Vishnu Statue Adds To Its Mystery
R. Phalguna Rao, the assistant director of the museum’s archaeology department, spoke to The Hindu about the discovery soon afterward, shedding more light on this fascinating mystery.
“Most sculptures from this region during that period were crafted from khondalite stones, whereas this idol is made of granite,” Rao told The Hindu.
Wikimedia CommonsKhondalite is a metamorphic rock found across India, from which many statues of Hindu deities have been carved.
He estimated that the sculpture was likely created around the 13th or 14th century, though given that it is made of granite, it likely did not originate from North Andhra Pradesh. The idol was also identified as depicting Vishnu in the Janardanaya avatar — one of his 24 divine forms.
It was missing one of its arms, one that would have likely been shown holding a shankha (conch).
Based on its age and condition, archaeologists suggested it may have once been part of a temple before being thrown into the Bay of Bengal — a common practice for damaged deity statues.
“The idol’s journey through time and tides is fascinating,” Rao added.
The Symbolic Value Of Vishnu Statues In Hinduism
Janardanaya is one of the many epithets of Vishnu in Hindu tradition, with the term “Janardana” effectively being broken down as: “Jana,” meaning people or beings, and “Ardana,” meaning one who removes suffering. This emphasizes Vishnu’s role as a protector who removes the troubles of his devotees and creates difficulties for those with evil intentions.
The shankha, or conch shell, also holds deep symbolic value in Hindu belief. It has divine connections to Vishnu, serving as one of his four primary attributes (along with the chakra/discus, gada/mace, and padma/lotus). His consort Lakshmi is also often depicted holding a shankha as well.
Wikimedia CommonsA sculpture of Janardana, one of the divine forms of the Hindu deity Vishnu, in Somanathapura.
The sound produced by blowing into the shankha likewise holds ritualistic value. The sound, “Om,” is recognized as primordial, a sort of representation of the cosmic vibration from which creation emerged, and is believed to drive away negative energies and evil spirits. The sound is often produced at the start of religious ceremonies and temple worship.
The shankha also naturally has a connection to the ocean, which likewise extends into a religious connection. Hindu belief speaks of a cosmic ocean, Samudra Manthan, meaning the conch shell is in many ways seen as a symbol of creation itself. In many homes and temples, the shankha is used to store and sprinkle holy water, and it symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and good fortune.
Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that this Vishnu statue emerged from the ocean. Now, it’s up to researchers to try to figure out more about how it ended up there in the first place.
After reading about the Vishnu statue that washed ashore, discover the story of the colorful Holi festival. Then, read about the ancient mass-suicide practice known as Jauhar.
