Rare Jain sculpture of 7th century found on banks of Baitarani river in Odisha

Neglected and forgotten, a rare and precious Jain Tirthankara sculpture belonging to the 7th or 8th century was found on the banks of Baitarani river near Mundapada village under Bhandaripokhari police limits in Odisha’s Bhadrak district.

A few locals were en route to take bath in the river when they came across the ancient idol on Thursday. The idol was half-buried in the sand when locals spotted it and alerted local researcher Bisambhar Rout who rushed to the spot and found it to be a Jain idol.

The ancient sculpture is one and a half feet tall and one foot wide with a few portions of it in damaged condition. It showcases at least 24 Tirthankaras inscribed on it. However, the faces of the Tirthankaras are not visible properly due to the damage to the idol. 

“A few locals alerted me about the century-old idol found on the river bank. As soon as I received the news, I rushed to the spot and learnt that the idol was very rare and precious. So, I informed my senior and we came to know that this was a Jain idol,” informed researcher, Bisambhar Rout.

“The idol is around 1.5ft tall while it is 1ft in width. We are guessing that the idol is from the 7th or 8th century. Hundreds of people are coming to get a glimpse of this rare age-old idol,” Rout added.

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