BHUBANESWAR: Kupari, a Buddhist site which was recently discovered by eminent painter Kesu Das in Balasore, lies in a dilapidated condition and is crying out for conservation efforts.
Interestingly, the archaeology department of state government has shown deep interest to find out more about the place. Das, the one who discovered ancient Nahanga Buddhist religious temples at Kupari, said, “These ancient temples might have been constructed in 7th century and needs to be examined by the archaeology department.”
An official of the archaeology department who requested anonymity said, “Former collector of Balasore John Bims had explored these amazing Buddhist monuments. The place finds a mention in Kavibar Radhanath Roy’s poetry. Kesu Das visited the site which is located 2 kms away from Kupari in the eastern direction with delegates of a “First Workshop on Conservation of Buddhist Heritage” organised by KAHA in the exposure visit March 01 and again on March 29 to get more details.”
“He also visited Lankeswar Temple with Biswaranjan Mohapatra, Convenor, KAHA. They found that many of the Buddhist sculptures are being worshiping by villagers as Hindu deities. They discussed with villagers about the temples including the oldest one,” he added.
However, all these relics of the past lie neglected. All these findings were found in a Buddhist village which was at a distance of 2 km from Nahanga. Many statues of ancient Buddhist monuments were found in a temple of Lord Shiva named as Lankeswar Mahadev.
These sculptures have no connection with Hinduism. Pillars and statues were found in a nearby temple too. People occupied the land and destroyed many of these statues earlier. The team discussed with the villagers about the temple. A broken pillar was also found at the site which seemed like a part of a room or structure of Buddhist culture.
Das said, “The Buddhist monument in the village needs attention of the state government, historians, researchers and archaeologists for higher studies. Appropriate steps for restoration and conservation of such unexplored heritage sites at Nahanga locality should be taken soon.”