Latest news with #GoddessDurga
News18
23-06-2025
- General
- News18
Ancient Relic Depicting Goddess On Two Lions Unearthed At Ayodhya's Ram Temple Complex
Last Updated: Experts say the artefact appears to bear the image of a female deity - likely representing a Shakta or Vaishnavite tradition - standing over two crouching lions. Ongoing excavation work along the Kuber Tila pathway in the Ram Temple complex has unearthed another remarkable archaeological find – an ancient relic depicting a goddess figure atop two lions. Believed to be centuries old, the carving adds to the growing list of artefacts found at the sacred site, reinforcing Ayodhya's deep civilisational roots. The relic was discovered during foundation work in a zone being developed as a spiritual trail around Kuber Tila, a prominent hillock within the Ram Janmabhoomi campus. Experts say the artefact appears to bear the image of a female deity – likely representing a Shakta or Vaishnavite tradition – standing over two crouching lions. While erosion over time has softened the finer details, the posture and iconography align with depictions of divine figures seen in early medieval Hindu temple art. According to a senior official of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, several such relics have been discovered since temple construction began. Each of them is being documented and preserved carefully. This latest find is particularly fascinating because of its symbolic depth and artistic style. Echoes of the Past Beneath Sacred Ground The Kuber Tila area is undergoing extensive development as part of the broader temple plan, which aims not only to build a grand structure for Lord Ram but also to revive and protect Ayodhya's tangible heritage. The recent discovery, say archaeologists, strengthens the historical and spiritual linkage of Ayodhya through the centuries. Officials and experts involved in the construction work noted that the recently unearthed artefact, featuring a lion and goddess motif, reflects a long-standing tradition in Indian temple iconography. The depiction likely represents Goddess Durga or a regional deity and is estimated to date between the 6th and 9th centuries CE. Given Ayodhya's uninterrupted sacred legacy, such symbols point to the deep and layered evolution of worship practices at the site. Previous Discoveries at the Ram Temple Site This is not an isolated incident. Since 2020, when the temple's deep foundation work began, a series of ancient artefacts have been uncovered. These include three ring wells, animal and human terracotta figurines, decorated bricks, and copper objects – all found at levels more than 40 feet deep. Experts associate these artefacts with the Maurya, Shunga, and Kushana periods, dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Some scholars contacted by the trust have even suggested the possibility of earlier origins through radiocarbon dating. They may be looking at cultural remnants as old as 1680 BCE, indicating over 3,600 years of historical continuity under Ayodhya's soil, according to an official. The 2003 ASI Excavation: A Legal Turning Point Earlier, in 2003, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducted a high-profile excavation at the disputed site under the directions of the Allahabad High Court. This investigation revealed the remains of a pre-existing religious structure – including carved pillars, shrine bases, and decorated stones – beneath the Babri Masjid. These findings were later acknowledged by the Supreme Court in its 2019 judgment, which awarded the disputed land to the Hindu side for temple construction. The ASI report, along with testimonies and artefacts, played a pivotal role in legally affirming the site's historic Hindu connection. Ongoing Preservation and a Future Museum To preserve these cultural treasures, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has formed a dedicated conservation team. Artefacts found during construction are being catalogued, and plans are underway to display them in a museum being built within the temple complex. Champat Rai, General Secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust, stated that all artefacts discovered during construction are being carefully preserved. These are not just stones but testimonies to Ayodhya's ancient heritage. They are being catalogued systematically, and they will be displayed in a museum within the temple complex to educate future generations. The Trust has also involved art historians and epigraphists to decode the symbols and inscriptions found on the stones and relics, many of which are yet to be fully interpreted.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
The power of smidgen Sindoor
Sindoor is amorphous! When a married woman scales it from the top of the forehead to the middle of the skull along the tiny hair parting, it becomes a valley; flowing through it an impassioned route to feminity, the boat of marriage thus sailing by keeping the oar intact on its gunwale. Sindoor is applied by Hindu women, a de rigueur. Some apply it every day; a long stretch through the parting till the inseparable red pores start fading, and some do away with a shorter length. Many hardly wear it now; one could owe this to the hard-nosed imprecation of marriage, why then the need to sprinkle the perfumed garden? Husband is now the squall who sputters; 'Sindoor' thus becomes an 'objet d' art, magnifying its exuberance during festivities like Karvachauth where married women therapeutically indulge in their own 'Sindoor craftsmanship'. And not to forget the Hindu Bengali women who smear each other with Sindoor during 'Sindoor Khela' or Vijayadashmi. What is it that makes 'Sindoor' pervasive? Is it devotion to the husband or is it a celebration womanhood, or is in fact a blissful sanity accorded by cultural consanguinity? The ill-disposed are quick to respond, 'Why the dividing line of the hair is empty'? The old-rickety women who have nurtured 'Sindoor' like the strict lines on the palm offer no remorse and often nudge, 'it is a sign of prosperity, applying the red vermillion makes marriage a solid rock without any cervices.' I am reminded of my friend who during 'Chhath Puja' had the red river flowing from the forehead to the bridge of the nose; crimson sprinkled to form an arabesque singing the union of a woman with her belief to love unconditionally. 'Goddess Durga' doesn't leave my impressionistic eye either. The stark red vermillion on her forehead impinges an opalescent hubris. Look at the strength it evokes if stirring up a gaff and the chiseled idol scaled to characterize the red radiance. Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994 and a popular celebrity at the Cannes Film Festival, did the anomaly; rather it turned out to be exquisite. She appeared like a carnivalesque of a woman in a spiritual palimpsest of a 'white sari', an essence of peace and contemporaneously crowned by a fierce bold 'red sindoor' attitudinizing conjugality, a coup de maître! Will she wear it the next day? Hard to say! 'Sindoor' has become more of an appurtenance rather than a sine qua non for everyday deck-up. The shift has been imperceptible. The affluttered mother-in-laws' have become quiet as the new age daughter-in-laws' are now adroit to handle their 'sindoor synapse'; the husbands now wonder if the red streak of love planted on the forehead has irreverently unclaimed them? It's not that I have never applied it; yes, I have! And I have to admit it made me look different but nothing to do with who I am. It's been years now and it is asynchronous in my married life; its significance arbitrary along the scrofula surrounding the marriage masochism. However, there comes an accession which has made 'sindoor' anthropomorphic. It was wiped off brutally by the terrorist during the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025, and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi did not accept the dark in whisper. The 'red' in 'Operation Sindoor' reflects the incandescent tempest that is ready to strike the malfeasance of the perpetrators who left many women as widows with their virtuous sindoor burnt forever. Can 'sindoor' ever be left bleeding? The power of it came down heavily on the miscreants, and 'Operation Sindoor' swallowed the currents of anachronistic hatred. 'Sindoor', with its adventurous spirit will always remain the soi-distant essence of a Hindu woman. Things have definitely changed, one hardly sees married women applying it fervently, and however, it still defines the indomitable spirit to create a crease of one's belonging and coveting the idea of inseparability. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
