Cuttack, April 7: Antique sculptures believed to be more than 800 years old are lying unattended at Ravenshaw University.

Around five historical works of art, which were once part of the provincial museum inside the former Ravenshaw College in 1938, are lying uncared for at the university. The pieces are believed to be from the Ganga period.

The artefacts include a 3.5 feet stone block depicting a hero with shield and sword.

“Two sculptures are in good shape, but the remaining three, including a few stone blocks that were part of a temple, are not very well preserved,” said head of the history department Subrat Acharya.

Another narrative wall painting depicts marching soldiers on elephants and horses as found in the lower sections of Konark temple. There is also the sculpture of a miniature votive temple in which a devotee is holding a flag. Another sculpture that used to be on top of the entrance of a Shiv temple has also been found.

Senior varsity officials said a small museum, which then functioned on the premises of the college, was transformed into the provincial museum of Odisha by a 1932 order of the state government. After the state capital was shifted to Bhubaneswar, the museum was moved there in 1947-48 and named Odisha State Museum, which begun functioning from a separate building in 1960.

Vice-chancellor of Ravenshaw University B.C. Tripathy said steps would be taken to preserve the sculptures. “We are planning to provide a hall to keep these antiquities for which we will ask for funds from the archaeological department. If the funds do not materialise, we will urge the state government to relocate them to the state museum,” he said.