Guntur :

Four idols dating back to 15th century were found in the agricultural fields on the way to the historic Kondaveedu fort near Phirangipuram in Guntur district.

The idols of Lord Sri Rama, Sri Lakshmana, Sri Sita Devi and Lord Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy were found during tilling of his barren land by a farmer, Maddiboina Sambaiah, on Friday.

The farmer alerted Kondaveedu Fort Development Society convener Kalli Siva Reddy, who after inspecting the idols, spoke to archaeology experts in Hyderabad and confirmed that the idols were nearly 600 years old.

He said archeological experts would soon visit the site to ascertain the exact age of the idols.

While the left hand of Sri Lakshman’s idol was found broken, the idol of Lord Lakshminarayana’s right hand was found missing  .

Contrary to the popular tradition, the idol of Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy is not accompanied by his consort Sri Lakshmi Devi. The idols were found just at a depth of 5 ft in the fields and were mostly intact.

“The idols may belong to the regime of Reddy king – Kumaragiri Reddy — an ardent devotee of Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy,” said Siva Reddy.

He said all the four idols looked fresh despite having remained buried in the fields for centuries chiefly due to the impressive sculptural beauty of those days.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad> Guntur District / TNN / May 25th, 2013