FOR more than 70 years a piece of Hindu religion was sitting in the corner of Adelaide Zoo unbeknown to staff and visitors.

This was until Hillcrest man Munish Sarda visited the zoo last year and recognised the statue as representing Lord Ganesh — the most worshipped God in Hindu culture.

Adelaide Zoo management, unaware of the cultural significance of the statue sitting next to the old elephant enclosure, has been working with the Hindu community to give it a better profile.

It spent $1500 to preserve the monument on a raised platform.

“Last year I came to the zoo with my wife, my son, and my mother and father who were visiting from India,” Mr Sarda, a member of the local Hindu community, said.

“We saw Lord Ganesh on the floor in a corner and I felt very sad.

“It is very special to us and it is an insult to the laws to have it on the ground.”

The finishing touches, including a descriptive plaque, were put on the statue last week in time for the God’s birthday on September 17 — one of the biggest days of the year in India.

The Adelaide Hindu community gathered for a worship ceremony, known as Puja, to welcome the statue and Lord Ganesh’s birthday.

media_camera The recently-restored Lord Ganesha statue at the Adelaide Zoo. Picture: Mike Burton

Mr Sarda said his community was very grateful for the work Adelaide Zoo had done to preserve the statue.

“We do not know where it came from or exactly how old it is,” he said.

“The archeology department at Flinders University said it seems to be a Balinese copy of a 1000-year old 13th century Javanese Boro Ganesa statue.

“We think it has been at the zoo for at least 70 years.”

Hindu Council of Australia president Professor Nihal Agar flew over from Sydney for the ceremony.

“In every religious ceremony the very first God worshipped is Lord Ganesh,” Prof Agar said.

“It means the removal of all obstacles.

“All the people heard about Lord Ganesh at the zoo and the Indian community will now come and visit.

“Some may not come to see the zoo, they will come to see Lord Ganesh because it is like a temple in the zoo.”

Adelaide Zoo general manager of operations Jeff Lugg said the statue’s significance was unbeknown to staff.

“It was based next to the elephant house because it has an elephant head,” Mr Lugg said.

“Mr Sarda was saying the statue on the ground was disrespectful and that’s why we wanted to get it off the floor.

“It’s quite mysterious and we believe it could be over 100 years old because the way it’s been carved is an old style.”