Idol lay broken for 150 years: Eran's Gupta-Age statue of Narasimha stands tall again

BHOPAL: It's not known how long this unique Narasimha statue - with a smile, not a roar - lay on its back watching the seasons go by. Now, 150 years after it was found on the ground, the Gupta-era statue is back on its feet, thanks to a restoration effort by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

You can see this 8-tonne, 8-ft-tall Narasimha sculpture at Eran town of Sagar that is home to another fascinating religious monument - a gigantic zoomorphic Varaha.

Eran, on the banks of River Bina, 160km from Bhopal, is a land of history that is mentioned as Airikina in Emperor Samudragupta's inscriptions. Its ruins were discovered in 1874-75 by Alexander Cunningham, the British Army engineer-turned-archaeologist, who was the first director-general of ASI. He was struck by the imposing statue of Narasimha though it lay on the ground, damaged at the knees ands broken at the feet.

"There are three temples of the Gupta Era here: a Vishnu Temple, a Varaha Temple, and a Narasimha Temple. Alexander Cunningham visited this site in 1874-75 and published a report, titled 'Tour of Bundelkhand and Malwa'. He said there was a broken mandap but there was not much information on the (Narasimha) idol," superintending archaeologist of ASI's Jabalpur circle, Shiva Kant Vajpayee, told TOI.

Idol of Narasimha lay broken for 150 years
The idol lay broken for 150 years. "Efforts were undertaken in the past to restore it, but they were not successful," said Vajpayee. A fresh restoration project was undertaken around six months ago, and this one succeeded. On March 26 this year, the Narasimha statue was back upright.

"Several precautions were taken during the conservation. First, a mould was prepared to find out whether any parts were missing. Nothing was. Only then did the conservation begin. "Several teams were roped in for the work. Senior officials monitored the work on site. It took four days to put the load on the base and erect the structure," he added.

"It is a rare structure of great archaeological importance, so every step was taken very carefully. Normally, Narasimha is depicted in an angry, aggressive form, but this Narasimha statue is seen smiling," Vajpayee said. "Now all the three temples of Eran are conserved," he added. Eran has been inhabited since prehistoric times. This region was a prosperous city. during the Gupta dynasty.