1200 Year Old Statue of Shakti Discovered in Kurukhsetra, India

From The Times of India:
1200-yr-old sculpture found
24 Nov, 2010 0652hrs IST TNN[ Deepender Deswal ]

ROHTAK: A rare 1200-year-old sandstone sculpture of a Hindu goddess has been discovered from an archeological site near Kaleshwar temple in Kurukhsetra. According to historians, the sculpture signifies the prevalence of worship of female gods during the Pratihar and pre-Pratihar era.

The 30 kg sandstone sculpture of goddess Shakti could be from the Shakti peetha of Savitri or the Bhadrakali of Thanesar in Kurukshetra.

Thanesar is known for Shaktism, a term which is based on worship of the divine in the form of the supreme mother of the universe.

Rajesh Purohit, deputy director and curator of the Shrikrishna Museum spotted the sculpture near the banks of Saraswati pond in Kaleshwar temple in Thanesar recently. Purohit who is also an archaeologist, said: This kind of an image has never been noticed here before in the history. This is one of the finest early-Pratihar era images found in Haryana.

Purohit said that the sculpture was excavated from Harsha-ka-tila an archeological site of historical significance. Thanesar region was the capital of king Harshavardhan in the pre-Pratihar times.

The sculpture, which is worth million of rupees, is preserved in the Shrikrishna museum. Historians and scholars from across the country are coming to the stadium to study the art work.

Firstly, it indicates that artistry was at a developed stage in that ear, more importantly, it throws light at feminine dominance in those times. This region, comprising entire Haryana and parts of Punjab, was the centre of culture and learning. People were known for their high living standards and a taste for art and culture, commented Rajesh Dalal, a scholar of ancient history in the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.