RailEnquiry

Historians demand that the two-foot high statue that was kept at the Salem Railway Divisional Office be handed over to the Government Museum and be preserved.The statue figures the local king and the queen, with a money bag placed between them. Weighing over one tonne, the statue was first found in Railway Employees quarters in Suramangalam in 2007 while undertaking a soil testing work. With no details emerging about its history, it was kept at the divisional office till now.The statue could symbolise the local king receiving money from the people for achieving victory in the concluded war and appreciating the king for his leadership, J. Barnabas, General Secretary of Salem Historical Society said. He added that the statue should be preserved at the museum and archaeologists should study it for detailed presentation to the public. ‘This would ensure the public to know about the king who ruled the region.Railway officials said that they had already written to the district administration for handing over the statue and are yet to receive the response.