Bhandaripokhari: Residents of Sathagaon village under Kurigaon panchayat of Bhadrak Wednesday demanded excavation of the area after a 10th century idol of Vishnu was found May 2.
Bhadrak district administration and the state archaeology department should excavate further to unearth more of the ancient carvings that are supposedly buried underground, some villagers said.
A number of ancient stone carvings were also found from the area. People from nearby villages have been thronging the area to pay their obeisance to Lord Vishnu and catch a glimpse of the deity.
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According to a source, a rare stone-made idol of Lord Vishnu in sleeping gesture (Anant Sayan mudra) was found during the digging of a pond on a private farmland near Dudheinala creek of Kurigaon panchayat under Bhandaripokhari block in Bhadrak district.
A villager named Ramesh Parida had been digging a pond in his farmland when the stone idol, around two feet in height, was unearthed. The idol is made of Baula Malia stone, a local researcher Biswambar Rout opined.
When digging of the pond was underway with the help of JCB machine, the idol was found nearly seven feet under the ground. Fearing that the ancient idol might be stolen by miscreants, it was brought to Maa Sunamuhin temple premises in the village. Later, the villagers informed the district administration to take custody of it.
PNN