Belgaum, September 19, 2013: The district administration handed over an ancient idol of Bhagvan Parshvanath, the 23rd Jain Tirthankar, to the Jain community following a request made by the community here on Wednesday. The idol was found during an excavation taken up for laying cable lines by a private mobile phone service provider in Hindalga village near here on Sunday. The idol was later seized and kept safely at the Belgaum Rural Police station. Jain community leaders on Monday met Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram and requested that the idol be handed over to them, so they could consecrate it at the Jain Basti within the Belgaum fort premises.

After receiving the idol, community members performed special puja.

Source: The Hindu, September 19, 2013