Junagarh: The Junagarh town in Kalahandi district, which was once the capital of Kalahandi royal estate, has a rich treasure of historical artifacts as old as 1000 years, a report said Thursday.
The matter came to the fore after a team of researchers from Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University undertook research on this historical town.
The team comprising Lokesh Durga from Delhi University and Damayanti Bag from Jawaharlal Nehru University Thursday said historical artifacts are lying under the ground in this ancient town and that date back to 500 to 1000 years old.
Therefore, the archeological department should take up more research and recover the historical relics which could help shed more light on the past, they said. The two researchers travelled various places in the town and retrieved precious historical artifacts during their research.
They found a hero stone (a memorial dedicated to a brave person), sati stone (a memorial dedicated to the women committing sati in ancient times) bricks used in ancient times, stone idols of feminine deities during their research. The duo claimed that the retrieved articles might be of 500 to 1000 years old during the rule of Ganga dynasty in Kalahandi.
They also said that an idol of Bhairavi which is now worshipped at Talabandhapada in the town might be of 1000 years old. They also showed the photographs of various artifacts they have found during their research. They claimed many historical artifacts now lies buried in the ground as well under many temples and large ponds in this town.
These artifacts will soon get destroyed if proper research work is not undertaken on them for their recovery. These relics should be recovered and kept in the state museum and with the archaeological department which could shed more light on the past and help the students in their studies, the two said while leaving for New Delhi.
PNN