Hindu statues found in river in Illinois

ST. CHARLES, Ill., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A man says he and his son found two broken statues of religious Hindu figures submerged in the DuPage River in St. Charles, Ill.

St. Charles resident Mark Coleman said while canoeing on the river with his son, Joseph, on Labor Day, he became intrigued after noticing part of one of the statues sticking out of the water, the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald reported Thursday.

"I just saw something that didn't belong in the river," Coleman, 60, said.

One statue is a tiger representing the Hindu goddess Durga. The other features the Hindu god Shiva, his wife the goddess Parvati, and their son Ganesha.

Area Hindu temples had not reported any missing statues.

Tracy Pintchman, professor of religious and Hindu studies at Loyola University, suggested the statues may have been dropped into the river as part of a religious celebration or a ceremonial disposal effort.

"Traditionally, one of the best ways to dispose of an icon once it's no longer housing a deity is to immerse it in a body of water because water is non-polluting," she told the Daily Herald.