Statue of three-eyed bull made in T.N. to be installed in Karnataka temple

Placed in the backyard of Sri Devasenapathy Sthapathy Sons, a well-known bronze idol manufacturing firm in Swamimalai near Kumbakonam, is a life-size statue of a bull, which, with three horns and three eyes, resembles a mythical animal.

Placed in the backyard of Sri Devasenapathy Sthapathy Sons, a well-known bronze idol manufacturing company in Swamimalai near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, is a life-size statue of a bull, which, with three horns and three eyes, resembles a mythical animal. The statue, nearing completion, is being built in memory of a bull that once lived and was worshipped by the people of Sanjeev Nagar in Hunsur taluk in Mysuru, Karnataka, and it will soon be installed in a newly constructed temple for Mukkanneswara (a deity with three eyes) in that village.

“We have constructed a temple for Mukkanneswara Swamy (the name of the bull) since he was born with three eyes. The third eye was on his forehead. The consecration will take place once the bronze idol is ready,” said Suryakumar, the trustee of the temple, who, with other residents of Swamimalai, was making arrangements for transporting the statue on Wednesday (February 5, 2025).

The animal with abnormal features was born in Heggadadevanakote or H.D.Kote, a town in Mysuru district. The owner of the animal was shocked by its appearance and did not know what to do with it. He then left the calf at the Sri Gaddige Kendaganneshwara temple in Gaddige village in Hunsur taluk. Little did he know that the calf would one day attain the status of ‘god’.

“It [the bull] refused to stay in the temple and one day ran away and reached our village. A few times, it was taken back to the temple, but it managed to escape. We decided to keep it in our village, and people treated it with respect and reverence. It was in our village for more than 15 years,” said Mr. Suryakumar, explaining why they were constructing a temple in honour of the bull.

Srikanta Sthapathy, one of the owners of Sri Devasenapathy Sthapathy Sons, said the statue weighed 800 kg. The body is hollow, but the other parts, including the head and legs, are solid.

“It weighed more than a tonne but the weight was reduced after the sand filled inside the body was removed. We are putting the finishing touches to the statue and it will look as though it was moulded as a single piece,” he said.

It took around eight months to complete the work. “It will be easy to make just a statue of a bull. But in this case, we had to create a statue resembling a particular bull and get the customers’ approval,” Mr. Sthapathy added.