Three ancient idols of Lord Vishnu were excavated near Dashaswamedha Ghat of Baitarani River, Jajpur.
Excavated sculptures are said to be of the twelfth and thirtieth centuries out of which one is broken and two are in an intact condition.
Out of those two intact sculptures one is of Varaha avatar, the third incarnation of among Lord Vishnu’s Dasavatars, and the other represents his natural form.
In an interview with Odisha TV, the district culture officer Duryodhan Mallick said; “After being informed about the excavation of valuable artefacts near Baitarani river, Jajpur. I went on a field study and upon inspecting the excavated sculptures, I found the sculptures are from 12-13th century period. Out of those three sculptors one is deformed, while other two represent Lord Vishnu and his Varaha avatar.”
Meanwhile, Santosh Nanda, a local, said, “This area used to be the capital of Utkala (presently Odisha) and was ruled by the rulers of Keshari Dynasty. Therefore there are huge chances of excavating precious artefacts’ in this region.”
The district administration has decided to keep the sculpture in the museum. Citing continuous discoveries of artefacts’ the district administration has demanded for more research by archaeology and geology departments in the Baitarani region.