Discovery of ancient Vishnu murti causes stir in Russia

An ancient murti of Lord Vishnu has been discovered in an old village in Russia's Volga region during an excavation. The discovery has really got scholars scratching their heads, because it may force a new perspective on the history and culture of Russia.

The murti found in Staraya Maina village is said to date back to 7th century AD. This particular village of Staraya Maina in the Ulyanovsk region was a city of high population even 1700 years age and is much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities, thus raising questions about the prevalent view on the history of ancient Russia.

"We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Russia. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research," Reader of Ulyanovsk State University's archaeology department Dr Alexander Kozhevin told state-run 24-hour news channel Vesti. An international conference is being organised later this year to study the legacy of the ancient village.