Mudipalli, a hill about 90 km from Chennai has yielded a rich archaeological find in the form of a ninth-century sculpture of Parshwanath (the 23rd Thirthankara of Jainism).

According to The Times of India, which first reported this story, the artifacts were found by a Jain priest, P Nagakumar, and his friends. They had climbed the hill in search of an idol of Buddha, which was rumoured to be located inside a rock structure on the hill.

However, what they found instead was a sculptures of Parshwanath, some ruined rock beds and a small tank that was possibly used for growing medicinal plants, reported TOI.

Nagakumar was quoted as saying that the sculpture was located in such a place as to not be visible when ascending, and was only spotted when they were climbing back down the hill. He also added that as he and his friends only climbed halfway up the hill, it is possible that there are more sculptures and rock beds further up.

The report also said that the hill, situated on the border between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh border had been ignored by the archaeological departments of both the states. This despite the fact that, in the past, sculptures of Jain Thirthankaras have been found in nearby places like Nagallapuram (Andhra Pradesh) and Punniyam (Tamil Nadu), the report quoted a scholar, K Ajithadoss, as saying.

(Image courtesy for pictures: Jain scholar K Ajithadoss)