Chandikhole/Chhatia: Ancient stone sculptures of Goddesses Durga, Bhairabi and Naga (serpent) were recovered near a temple on the outskirts of Satamana village under Barchana block in Jajpur. These stone sculptures are believed to be as old as 300 to 500 years. Local people wondered how these stone statues could be found near a temple. It is being suspected that the idols could have been brought from somewhere else and placed there. Reports said, priest of local Tarini temple Ashok Samal was walking to the temple in the wee hours of Tuesday when he was shocked to find such rare idols placed in front of the temple.
Locals enshrined the sculptures in the temple and started worshipping them. A ‘Bana Durga’ statue as high as a foot is made out of black stone while two Bhairabi idols were found sitting on two horses made from silver. Another idol is of a serpent made out of copper. The Durga idol is believed to be 500 years old while the Naga idol is believed to be 300 years old. All these statues are rare and worshipped by Shaktas (followers of Shakti). Many believe that these statues might have been stolen from temples and dumped there in fear of getting caught. Locals have demanded an investigation into the matter