BHUBANESWAR: Around 50 pieces of sculpted stones have been found from a pond that was being renovated at Dekudi Chandanpur village under Barchana block in Jajpur district recently.The stones, varying in sizes (4 feet to 1 feet), are believed to have been used in a Shiva temple. The stones and figurines were found 10 feet below ground level while a JCB machine was being used to clear water hyacinth from the pond in the village.
Former history professor of Derabis College Prof Harish Chandra Prusty, who is a resident of the village and helped the villagers recover the sculpted stones, said the figures may date back to the 13th century going by their features but a detailed study is essential to know the exact date.
“The stones have sculptures of king worshipping Shiva linga, Nabagraha Shila, Dwarpala and Bhairava, erotic sculptures like those in Konark, among other things. Ten to eight years back, a Shiva linga had been found from one corner of the pond,” he said.Of them, six are Navagraha panels and three of them were damaged during excavation from the pond, he informed.