Bhubaneswar, July 7: Chance finding of six rare Jain idols, perceived to belong to the period between 6th and 12th century AD, from Biripada village near Muniguda in Rayagada district will add to the rich collection of the Odisha State Museum here.
The metal idols were discovered from an ancient well-like structure barely 300 metres away from the course of the Bansadhara river near Munigada, which is nearly 385km from here.
The idols were found on June 25 when local tribals were digging the place for edible roots.
Speaking to The Telegraph on the find, culture and tourism secretary Arvind Padhee said: "After getting information on the rare idols, I had deputed a team of officials and archaeologist to Biripada and they are back with the idols. We will consult various experts in the field of archaeology to ascertain their antiquity and then hand them over to the state museum so that people can see them.''
Based on their structural pattern and design, officials and archaeologists of the state archaeology hinted that the rare metal idols might belong to the 10th or 12th century AD.
However, they have consulted experts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Bhubaneswar circle office for a final opinion.
Deputy superintending archaeologist of the ASI's excavation branch Jeevan Patnaik said: "Getting so many statues from one site is definitely a rare happening and I hope that the state archaeology is lucky to have them in their possession. As Jainism was prosperous between the 1st century BC and the medieval age and Odisha was an important region to have several sites, including the Khandagiri-Udayagiri caves near the city, this find will help scholars to do more research on the subject.''
Pointing at the peculiar bricks recovered from the site, Patnaik said: "With the size and pattern of the brick resemble those found in the post-Gupta period, we may conclude that the statues also belong to the same era or the 6th or 7th century AD. The post-Gupta rulers used to encourage religious beliefs of all kind.''
Regarding findings of Jain relics in forest patches, he said: "Such occurrence is a common sight in many parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh as Jain religious leaders used to lead an austere life and always lived away from the crowd.''
While three metal statues are in sitting posture (mudra), three others are in standing pose.
Odisha had rich Jain relics and monuments in undivided Koraput district (now split into Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Koraput), Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Angul, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts.
In the Koraput region, Jain sites are at Nandapur, Bhairab-Singhpur, Subei, Kotpada, Jamunda, Kamta, Jeypore, Boriguma and Remula.
Superintending archaeologist of the Odisha State Archaeology B.P. Ray said: "Villagers of Biripada noticed the idols and informed the local and district administration and the police immediately. The site seems like an old water source with a circular pathway to get inside.''
"Rivers always form the basis of human settlement, so a Jain structure might be buried there nearby. There will be proposals for further excavations in the area in the near future. The district administration had also written to the ASI director general to carry out excavation near the site in future,'' said a source at the state archaeology.
Former superintendent of the Odisha State Archaeology B.K. Rath said: "Odisha was a rich region with many Jain sites. In the past, we did a survey to find that there were 80 such sites, but now with several more addition to it, there should be a fresh survey to know the exact number of Jain monuments or relics.''
Jain history shows that its relics and monuments were seen along all ancient trade routes passing through the state. A new survey will serve the twin purposes of knowing more about the routes and Jain artefacts.
