BHUBANESWAR: A slanting roof with decorated panels has been discovered during excavation of a buried temple on the Sari Deula premises by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Located behind the Bhabani Shankar temple in Old Town, the panels depicting human figures have been found in the south west direction of the temple. ASI Superintending Archaeologist (Bhubaneswar circle) Arun Malik said the sculptures are unique in nature as such decorations cannot be found in any of the existing temples in Bhubaneswar.
The slanting roof was found 2.5 mt below the earth and the decorative panels are similar to the one found from the site a week back. Last week, an ancient sculpture of Lord Vishnu, two inscriptions and a decorative panel were discovered by the ASI while excavating the buried temple. While the temple has been found to be built in Khakara style (as evident from its roof design and features), the Vishnu image is considered one of the earliest in Odisha and the decorative panel shows a holy bathing scene of either a king or a priest.
Malik said the sculptures appear like typical Hindu characters but it is too early to comment on what period these inscriptions or sculptures belong to. The buried temple is a ‘jagamohan’ and it is facing south towards Bindusagar.