Villagers working on a World Food Programme (WFP) project in Bangladesh’s northern region have uncovered a rare statue while excavating a silted-up community fish pond.The villagers, who were participating in a project in which they were given rice rations in exchange for labour on community projects, unearthed the statue believed to date back to the 12th century under a pond at Mirapur village in Gomostapur sub-district of Chapainawabganj district.
“We are proud to see our project participants contributing to what seems to be an important archaeological discovery,” said WFP Bangladesh Representative John Aylieff.
Aylieff said the discovery is a remarkable by-product of the critical work of WFP, said a WFP official announcement in Dhaka Thursday.
A specialist from the National Museum in Dhaka, who saw a photo of the touchstone, said it appeared to be a sculpture of the Hindu god Vishnu.
“It seems to be made of black stone and date back to the Pal dynasty in the 11-12 century,” said the expert.
He said the value of the touchstone would be confirmed only after a thorough examination.
The food-for-work project near Rohanpur was launched in November 2008 as part of WFP’s emergency operation to respond to the impact of high food prices on poor families in Bangladesh.
Source: Associated Press of Pakistan