Trichy :

The state archaeology department, which is excavating the premises of the 1,000-pillar mandapam (pavilion) at the Sriranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, has unearthed the statue of an elephant and several treasures including copper coins. Digging is currently on at the rear of the mandapam as a portion of it is buried in sand.

A 12-member excavation team, which commenced work from Monday, found the 12-feet tall stone sculpture of elephant on Tuesday. Four curators, who are assisting the archaeologists, said copper coins and stone idols too were found in the site. They expect more metals and idols during the ongoing excavation.

When the mandapam was last renovated in 2011 its sides were spruced up. Water was made to flow through the sides to strengthen the base of the structure. The renovation was carried out by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / by Harish Murali, TNN / March 06th, 2014