The enigma of buried murtis: Pujas by Hindus or Exhibition by the secular state?
Murtis of Maha Vishnu, Bhoodevi and Sridevi, were unearthed by a farmer in Tiruchuli, Tamil Nadu. Hindus of the village argued with the government officials against placing the murtis in a museum as they wanted to build a temple to worship them properly.
Samidurai, a 38-year-old farmer, ploughed his field a few days ago for sowing. But, as it rained heavily, he stopped midway. The next day he found the murtis of Maha Vishnu, Bhoodevi, and Sridevi buried in the mud. Elated, he excavated them and informed the police and archaeological department. As the murtis were discovered on the auspicious day of Ashada Amavasya, Hindus of the village considered it a good omen that will bring prosperity to their village.
They cleaned the murtis, performed abhishekam and decorated them with garlands and sandalwood. Everyone gathered on the spot as the news spread across the village and did pujas to the murtis. But everything went downhill once the police and officials from the archaeological department arrived.
The officials predicted that the murtis belong to the period of 13th-14th century CE and Pandya origin. While the villagers wanted to keep the murtis, build a temple, and properly worship them, government authorities demanded that the murtis be handed over to them. An argument ensued, and the Tehsildar agreed to talk to the district collector about returning the murtis to the villagers.
The murtis were placed in the Tiruchuli Taluk office. Virudhunagar government museum’s curator has said that the ancient Vishnu temple in the village could have been destroyed due to natural calamities, which explains the murtis being discovered there. However, contradicting the views of the villagers, she wanted to bring the murtis to the museum. She cited the British law of 1878, The Indian Treasure Trove Act, as a reason to place the murtis in the museum. Now all the 3 murtis have been put on display for the public in the Virudhunagar government museum. However, villagers still want to retrieve the murtis and worship them as they were found in their village and rightfully belong to them.
While murtis smuggled to foreign lands are brought back so that they can be properly worshipped in their homes instead of being starved and placed as mere artefacts in foreign lands, deities once lost and found here are taken to museums to be displayed as showpieces. HRCE cannot even properly maintain the temples that are already under their control. So what stops the government from allowing the villagers to worship their gods as they see fit?
