Locals have reacted with shock after dumped Hindu statues emerged from a Canberra lake when it was drained, with some comparing it to India’s ultra-polluted river Ganges.
One man shared photos of several of the religious statues on rocks and the muddy shores of Lake Tuggeranong, which along with four other Canberra lakes and dams is having its water levels lowered by 0.5 metres this month for mandatory safety inspections.
“Does anyone know the significance of throwing these statues in the water? As Lake Tuggeranong is being drained more are appearing,” he wrote in a local Facebook group.
An Indian commenter explained that the statues were used in Hindu religious rituals, but said they were meant to be made out of water soluble clay.
“It’s disappointing that the worshippers chose not to use the water soluble ones,” he said.
Some Canberra residents reacted with anger, but others called the criticism “racist” and attempted to excuse the Indian religious practice by pointing out that Australians also threw rubbish into the lake.
“This is polluting, they need signage to stop this religious polluting. That’s why their country’s waterways are so polluted. Stop the nonsense,” wrote one woman.
“How good is immigration” and “Lake Tuggeranong is now river Ganges,” said others.
“The throwing of clay statues into the lake is a far far more desirable tradition than the local tradition of throwing shopping trolleys and battery operated scooters into the lake,” another man wrote.
“It would be better if this religious practice used biodegradable materials, but frankly, the plastic bags are a bigger issue for the environment. The lack of tolerance of diversity is disappointing,” a man said.
But many Indians chimed in to say they did not support the practice either.
“At the next festival, the Indian diaspora should stop doing these, as a respect to the country we live in,” one man said.
“I’m a Hindu, and a Brahmin but this isn’t acceptable. I’m not saying this to look good or to avoid looking bad. What’s wrong is wrong,” said another.
“I am from India, a Hindu, and I absolutely detest this practice! I also celebrate this festival, but I pay a little bit extra to get water soluble idol, and then do the immersion in a bucket of water. Once the idol loses its form in water, the water goes into the garden bed with the clay,” a third wrote.
“A lot of people in India too follow this practice of immersion in buckets/isolated tanks, and it’s sad to see educated lot from our community being such disrespectful towards local sentiments and such abject disregard for local laws.”
Lake Ginninderra, Lake Tuggeranong, Yerrabi Pond, Gungahlin Lake and Whitlam Dam all had their water levels lowered so engineers could check for structural damage in areas that are usually submerged.
Header image: Left, right, the statues found in the river (Facebook).
