A magnet fisherman out with his two young sons at a river in Coventry reeled in almost 60 mysterious cubes thought to show a sacred numerical inscription.
He posted images of the cubes on Facebook and content sharing website Reddit to try and find out more about his unusual catch.
Based on the responses, he believes the objects are connected to a Hindu prayer ritual. “What I learned is that they are Indian in origin and they show incantations for prayers which take effect when they are thrown in running water.”
According to the coventrytelegraph, other than a different face on one side, all of the cubes are identical, possibly because they contain a numerical formula to summon the protection of Rahu, described by the Shrivinayaka Astrology website as a planet with God-like powers.
Rahu’s sphere of control includes thieves, magicians, snakes, poison, jails and isolated places, according to the resource.
Responses to the pictures on social media suggest the characters are in Sanskrit, the liturgical language of Hinduism, and show ‘yantra’ – mystical diagrams that are used for worship.
One of most likely explanations comes from a beach combing website, where one contributor describes similar finds of “numerical planetary yantras made of solid lead.”
However, the puzzle is from complete, as no one has been able to put a date on the objects or to explain why so many would end up being thrown into a quiet river in Coventry.
More detailed images of the mysterious cubes at coventrytelegraph.net