BHUBANESWAR : Remains of yet another ancient temple were found near the Sari Deula on Saturday during the ongoing scientific clearance works by the ASI. The archaeologists said the impression of Yoni Pith of a small Shiva temple has been found close to the Sari temple in the north direction.
“This area appears to be the sanctum sanctorum of the Shiva temple and its pranala (discharge outlet) is also directed towards the Bindu Sagar. The Shiva linga is yet to be found but we are hopeful of getting it because a large area remains to be excavated”, said an ASI official.
Dating of the temple remains, however, can be ascertained only after further cleaning of the site.
Archaeologists said the Sari temple and remains of the Shiva temple are not of the same age and the remains may either be earlier or later than Sari temple.
Apart from the temple remains, grey and red ware pottery like rims and bases of early medieval age utensils have been found from the site which has been manually cleaned by the ASI for over a metre.
Assistant archaeologists Baibhav Srivastav and Rahul Srivastav who dug up the area said the Yoni Pith is at the plinth level of Sari Deula and the Shiva temple’s ‘ratha’ projections and other architectural features can be known after further digging.
Earlier after BMC-BDA demolished the structures on the two acre area around the Suka-Sari temple complex, a Yoni Pith structure was found dumped along with the debris in the complex. Archaeologists, however, said it appears to be an incomplete structure. Usually, Yoni Pitha has a socket where the ‘linga’ is fixed but in this case the structure does not have a socket which is why it can be said that it is an incomplete construction and may not be as ancient as Sari Deula, they said.
While earlier the ASI archaeologists said the Sari temple was built on the Panchayatan model where the main temple is surrounded by four subsidiary shrines, they said there are chances of existence of more smaller temples in the Suka-Sari complex. Another temple’s base moulding has been partially exposed in the last four days of cleaning in the north-east direction of the ornate Sari temple.
NEW FINDINGS AT SUKA-SARI COMPLEX
Sanctum sanctorum of an ancient Shiva temple found on the north of Sari temple
Yoni Pith impression of the smaller Shiva temple is located at plinth level of Sari Deula
Sari temple and remains of the Shiva temple are not of the same age and the remains may either be earlier or later than Sari temple
Grey and red ware pottery like rims and bases of early medieval age utensils have been found from the site
Another temple’s base moulding has been partially exposed in the last four days of cleaning in the north-east direction of the Sari temple