Jajpur: Rampant illegal quarrying is posing a threat to the Buddhist site at Udayagiri of Darpan tehsil in the district.

The situation is so grave that the largest Buddhist complex in the state is facing threat of destruction because of this. The district administration has failed to regulate illegal mining at this historical site despite repeated pleas by local people.

The Buddhist site is located in the Udayagiri hillock. The Buddhist monuments are found located in the foothills of Udayagiri hill, which is full of minor minerals such as morrum and laterite stones. Loads of rocks are illegally transported from the foothills. Although the government has declared the hill as a protected site, reckless illegal mining near this place continues unabated with the silent backing of revenue officials.

"The Udayagiri hill, which houses Buddhist relics, has been declared a protected site by the Archaeological Survey of India. But, reckless mining activities near the site have posed a threat to this national monument," said local resident Raghav Chandra Das.

"Local mafia in connivance with the corrupt revenue officials are carrying out illegal mining during night. They have even lifted huge quantity of morrum from the boundary wall of the Buddhist hill by digging. It may collapse at any time," he said, adding that the residents' repeated pleas to the district administration yielded no result.

If the illegal mining of minor minerals is not stopped immediately, this site will incur substantial harm, he said. The Centre has, in a directive, banned mining activities within 5km radius of any protected monument. But here such activities are going on under the nose of the authorities. "We had clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC at Udayagiri hillock to prevent illegal quarrying at the Buddhist site a couple of years ago," said Darpan tehsildar Ashok Kumar Das.

He also admitted that the quarrying at Udayagiri was being carried out during night.

"We will certainly conduct raids at the site and arrest the illegal quarry operators," he said. Udayagiri, best known as Madhavapura Mahavihara, was a Vajrayana centre during the 8th and 9th century. Udayagiri is home to the remains of several stupas and Buddhist monasteries.