[This post is a free translation of an earlier post originally published in French]
The Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology at Châlons-en-Champagne owns since 1872 a group of 22 granite sculptures (fig. 1) from the neighbourhood of Pondicherry and Karaikal (Karikal, Kāraikkāl). These were given by Pierre-Eugène Lamairesse, a native from Châlons, who exercised between 1860 and 1866 as chief engineer in French India (Établissements français dans l’Inde). During his fieldwork in the countryside he could acquire idols fallen into disuse from villagers. Continue reading