Ancient sculptures, including remnants of Shaiva and Buddhist deities, have been found along the banks of the Baitarani River in Odisha’s Bhadrak district, researchers said.
The sculptures were found near a village called Maninathpur in the Bhandaripokhari block of the district earlier this week.
The researchers found 18 ancient sculptures, including rare Shaiva and Buddhist deities, dating back to the 6th or 7th century Common Era (CE).
These artefacts include intricately carved miniature temples and 'argha stupas', they said.
A local youth, Bibekananda, stumbled upon a statue during his morning walk and promptly informed the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) members and young researcher Biswambhar Raut.
Raut inspected the area and identified 18 ancient sculptures and small temples, scattered across the site.
The sculptures depict Shaiva deities like Shiva, Parvati, and Ganesh, and Buddhist icons such as Buddha, Tara, and Padmapani.
The sculptures were handed over to the Buddhist Vihara Museum for preservation and display.
"After getting information about the findings, we informed the INTACH members, after which they stored the ancient sculptures in the museum," the District Culture Officer of Bhadrak, Tanuja Sirka Singh, said.
After inspecting the site, renowned archaeologist Sunil Pattnaik confirmed the significance of the artefacts, identifying them as Shaiva and Buddhist sculptures crafted from Khondalite stone, dating to the 6th–8th centuries CE.
Pattnaik highlighted the artistic excellence of the sculptures of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Buddha, Padmapani, Tara, Bhairava, and dancing figures.
These artefacts, with some miniature temples reaching a height of 4.5 feet, are invaluable cultural and religious symbols of Shaiva and Buddhist heritage.
The findings are expected to shed light on the syncretic cultural heritage of the region and attract further attention from researchers and historians, the researchers said.
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