Monalisa Patsani
post news network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 17: Conservation and further excavation work at the Buddhist archeological site in Aragarh will begin in the month of December. In the recently concluded two excavation projects at the site, it was discovered that the site dated back to the second century BC.
Sunil Patnaik, secretary of Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies (OIMSEAS) who has been heading the excavation, said: “The excavation works at the site has been mostly completed. So, we would now start the conservation work here and we have sent a proposal to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for this. Though our main focus will be on the conservation work, but we still have asked for further excavation in the nearby areas just to check for any new evidence.”
He added the work would begin December and was expected to finish within three-month time.
Recently, Patnaik, along with other archeologists and experts, had visited various Buddhist sites to research about the pattern of stupa construction. “We tried to trace the roots of Buddhism starting from Kapilavastu to Kalingapatnam. After observing various stupas in northern and eastern part of India, we have got an idea what can be done at the site (Aragarh).”
He said Aragarh site was massively destroyed and the stupa here was demolished on purpose, which was a major problem for the identification of its original shape.
“We are going to conduct more research before the conservation work begins and for this we are going to visit other Buddhist sites. It is a very important site and if properly developed, it has good potential for tourism,” he added.