In one of the temples in southern India, the ancient idol of the presiding deity, Adi Atti Varada, carved from wood of the Atti tree (Ficus glomerata), was preserved in a water tank, removed every 40 years for worship, and replaced in the water. The unique practice continues even to the present. An investigation was designed to identify the properties of the wood employed for this idol. The material disintegrates at an infinitesimal rate when in continuous contact with water. The tree selectively enriches appreciable quantities of trace elements such as copper and zinc and minor quantities of silver and gold. The organic compound extracted from the wood is found to be beta-amyrin acetate. -- AATA