Cuttack: An ancient stone idol of Lord Varaha has been unearthed from an earthen mound in Purbakachha village under Salepur tehasil of Cuttack district. Heritage enthusiasts claim the idol was likely buried centuries ago to protect it from attacks by invaders.
The rare sculpture was discovered amidst paddy fields near the Chandan Pushkarini in Purbakachha village, where the mound had long remained concealed under dense vegetation.
Local heritage enthusiast Biswajit Singh first noticed a portion of the idol’s head protruding from the soil and immediately informed Nrupati Nihar Siala, a member of the Rediscover Lost Heritage Trust (RLHT).
Acting on the information, an exploration team from RLHT visited the site May 17. With the assistance of local villagers and heritage enthusiasts, the team carefully excavated and recovered the ancient sculpture from beneath the earth.
The idol has since been safely placed at the Kapileswar Mahadev Temple in the village. Providing details about the discovery, Siala said that only a small portion of the nearly three-foot-high idol was visible before the excavation.
However, several portions of the sculpture have suffered erosion and damage after remaining buried underground in an unprotected state for many years.
According to the legends, the ancient Lakshmi Narasimha Temple of Purbakachha was attacked and destroyed by the iconoclast Kalapahada during the 16th century CE. Villagers believe that during those turbulent times, many sacred idols were hidden underground or submerged in water bodies to protect them from destruction.
Supporting this belief, a massive idol of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha is still believed to remain submerged within the waters of Chandan pond near the village.
A few years ago, when the pond dried up completely, portions of the idol reportedly became visible. Siala stated that the submerged idol could possibly be the original deity of the ancient Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, while the newly recovered Varaha idol may once have served as a subsidiary deity within the same temple complex.
Heritage researcher and founding member of RLHT, Deepak Kumar Nayak, who also took part in the exploration, noted that Salepur region — located close to the historic city of Cuttack, the former capital of Odisha — is rich in archaeological heritage.
Historical records suggest that numerous Narasimha temples were established in the region during the rule of the Eastern Ganga and Suryavamshi dynasties. Nayak urged the State Archaeology department to take immediate cognisance of the discovery and undertake systematic archaeological surveys and excavations in the area to uncover and preserve its rich historical legacy.