Khetia (Madhya Pradesh): A remarkable discovery was made on Friday in Amda village near Pansemal: a 3-foot-tall ancient statue was unearthed. The statue was found in a pit dug for the construction of a toilet for a private house in the village.

The villagers gathered at the site and saw the statue lying on the ground in meditation posture. Two pieces were found separated. Naib Tehsildar Rajaram Ranade and Sub-Inspector Sanjeev Patil reached the site and confirmed that the statue belongs to the Jain community.

However, they stated that confirmation from the archaeological department was required to ascertain which god the statue represents. The statue was safely stored in a room of the nearby Hanuman temple with the help of the Jain community and villagers.

Deputy Sarpanch Prakash Jain of Amda village said the statue was found in the house of Ashok Sakharam Pawar and is likely to be of a Jain Tirthankara. Pan-Simwani businessman Nitin Jain claimed that the statue depicts the 22nd Tirthankara Neminath Maharaj and is estimated to be around 2,000 years old based on the figure carved on the pedestal. The discovery has created excitement among the locals and further investigations are awaited to unravel the mysteries of this ancient relic.