Sambalpur: Some antique statues of historical importance were discovered while doing the renovation-related digging of an old water tank (pond) at Adhapada village in Jharsuguda district. The pond was located close to the Pashchimeswar Shiva temple there.
The exact ages of the statues are to be ascertained, but they seem to be centuries-old, experts said.
Ten statues were unearthed from the site so far and more were expected to be found if the excavation works go further deep. A statue of Lord Shiva and another of his associate Brushav were out of the 10 unearthed statues. A hint is that there existed at least one Shiva temple in the distant past, which got buried in due course of time.
The size of the statues speaks volumes about the greatness of the temple that existed there. A large heap of soil now lay near the excavated site. Some statues and other sculptures are partly visible in their buried conditions.
A team from the Sambalpur chapter of INTACH visited the site Sunday as per an invitation from local resource persons. The team from Sambalpur included chapter convener Prof Tarini Prasad Panda, historian Dipak Panda, Gopinath Mishra and BP Mishra. The team opined that the excavation works must be continued as they might shed new light on the unwritten history of the region.
