Ancient Hindu idols recovered during excavation at a spring in J&K's Anantnag district

Ancient Hindu idols were recovered during excavation work for the renovation of a spring in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, officials said.

The idols and 'Shivlings' were recovered at Karkoot Nag in the Salia area of Aishmuqam in the south Kashmir district.

The site holds significance for Kashmiri Pandits, who associate it with the Karkoota dynasty that ruled Kashmir from 625 to 855 CE.

The Public Works Department is undertaking revival and restoration works in the spring and the labourers recovered the idols during the excavation work, officials said on Saturday (August 2, 2025).

They said the officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums visited the site, and added the idols will be sent to Srinagar for material and dating testing to determine their age and origins.

"We will shift them to SPS museum where they will be studied by research scholars and the department," they said.

According to a Kashmiri Pandit, "There has been an impact of the Karkoota dynasty in this area, so there is a probability that a temple might have been there or someone might have kept them there for preservation".

He said the site, about 16 km from the district headquarters, has been a pilgrimage centre.

"These were recovered from the sacred pond. Some Shivlings, a sculpture and other items have been recovered. We want them to be protected. We have heard there used to be a temple here, and so a new temple be built here and these 'Shivlings' be kept there," he said.