Kendrapara, April 25: Labourers engaged in excavating soil for a rail line project have discovered remains of a Hindu temple at a village on the outskirts of this town.

The labourers stumbled upon the summit structure or “dadhi nauti” of the shrine while carrying out earth digging work at Bhuinpur village within the limits of Bagada gram panchayat.

They stopped the excavation after sighting the temple remains. Huge crowd had congregated at the site of the discovery, said district culture officer Golakh Chandra Behera.

Archaeologists of state archaeology department have inspected the site. The administration is yet to receive the report on their findings, he said. Curator of state archaeology department S. K. Badu said: “We visited the site where the remnants of a Hindu temple were discovered. The department is examining the remains to ascertain its antique character. However, our preliminary view is that the temple must be more than 150-year-old.”

The village where the chance discovery was made is situated on the bank of Luna river. The area witnesses frequent floods. Thus, there is a distinct possibility that the village might have been ravaged in the past, he said.

Adikanda Rout, an octogenarian and a local resident, said: “Our village was a Shaiva centre. I have heard from old timers that our village housed a Shiv temple. It was a famous place of pilgrimage for those following Shaiva cult.”

The finding of the temple remains assumes significance as the area is not far away from Buddhist discoveries in some of the villages in Kendrapara district. Along with Hinduism, Buddhism also flourished in Kendrapara during Bhaumakar dynasty.

“There is a possibility that Buddhist treasures can also be discovered from the spot. There are plenty of instances that the Hindus worshipped Buddhist divinities in these areas,” said historian Harischandra Prusti.