BUDGAM: A 7th-century idol of Goddess Durga made of black stone was recovered by the police in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.The idol, which is believed to be 13,000 years old, was found in the Khag area of the district.A team of officials from the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums of Jammu and Kashmir examined the sculpture of Durga seated on a lion throne.“The sculpture is carved in a black stone. This sculpture is of goddess Durga seated on a lion throne, the left side of the arm is missing from the shoulder, the sculpture is having the influence of Gandhara School of Art and right hand is holding a lotus,” the police said in an official release.The sculpture was handed over to Mushtaq Ahmad Beigh, Deputy Director, Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums.In September, a 1,200-year-old sculpture of goddess Durga was recovered from the Khan Sahab area of the district.”During examination, it was revealed that the recovered sculpture dated back to roughly 7th-8th AD (about 1,200 years). The sculpture is 12″x8″ in size, carved in a black stone with goddess Durga seated on a lion throne along with four attendants,” the police had said.The sculpture was retrieved by the labourers while extracting sand from River Jehlum at Pandthrethan area of Srinagar.
