Idol of female deity recovered from Gazole

Malda: The idol of a female deity was found in Dahilmuhil village in Karkach Gram Panchayat (GP) under the Gazole Police Station by the locals. The police were immediately informed about the statue of a Hindu Goddess likely of Goddess Durga.

The idol, with proper care, has been sent to the Malda Museum in English Bazar for archeological assessment. On Sunday, the locals of the village were working in a field dumping soil dug up from beside a pond. While spreading out the soil evenly, the workers found the statue. The statue bore damage marks in different places. The police were informed and they took the idol with them.

The statue made of black stone is almost 3-feet-high and 1 foot 3-inches-wide. The face of the Goddess is broken but the presence of Lord Ganesha and Kartik on both sides suggests that the statue is of Goddess Durga.

Experts claim that the statue has its origin during the reign of the Pala or the Sena dynasty.

The local historians opine that there were many temples in the area spread over three blocks of Habibpur, Bamangola and Gazole and some remains of Buddhist shrines are also evident which were built during or before the reign of the Pala or Sena dynasty. Later, with the invasion of Muslims these deities or idols were immersed in the water bodies to prevent them from being destroyed.

Sarwar Aman Choudhury, headmaster of Kanchanter High School and an enthusiast of archeology, said: “The idol seems to belong to the Sena period.

Many idols with similar features, made of black stone, the design and posture have been found from Malda and many more are yet to surface. There are multiple mounds in the Habibpur, Bamangola and Gazole blocks which if excavated, can unearth relics possessing greater historic and archaeological importance. “