06-04-2008, 09:18 PM
<b>32 antique statues found in Choudwar temple muck</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Cuttack, June 3: Thirty-two black granite statues, believed to be more than 800 years old, have been found from a well inside the precincts of the 12th century Chateswar-Bateswar Temple in Choudwar.
âWe stumbled upon the exquisite pieces when we were clearing the well. The work began from Sunday,â said Gagan Bihari Raul, the head of the temple managing committee today.
âThey appear to belong to a period before the temple was constructed, in 12th century. Their exact date can be ascertained by archaeologists,â Raul said.
According to historical records, Choudwar, located 11km from Cuttack on the northern banks of the Mahanadi, served as the stateâs capital for 270 years till the Ganga rulers shifted their capital to Cuttack between 1211 and 1230 with the construction of Barabati Fort.
<b>Eight prominent Shiv pithas (temples) were established between 989 and 1211 by the Keshari Dynasty in and around Choudwar, most of which are now in ruins.
The Chateswar-Bateswar is one of the temples that survived the ravages of time. It had a well in its precincts. </b>
The one-foot-long, black statues of granite were once a part of the temple and were later âdumpedâ into the well â believe the committee members.
Though the well water was frequently used for rituals, the well had not been cleaned for a very long time. âThe last cleaning may have been done a century ago, as superstitions run that those who enter the well never return. We decided to undertake clearance when our priest complained of the quality of the water,â said Rabindra Kumar Behera, a member of the temple committee.
âThe work was started on Sunday after a performing a puja,â he added.
The statues were found in tonnes of silt that was cleared out of the well.
<b>The statues are of Hindu gods and goddesses such as Shiv, Nataraj, Durga, Laxmi, Ganesh and some Buddhist deities. Presently, the statues are in the custody of the temple managing committee and are being displayed in the temple</b>.
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âWe stumbled upon the exquisite pieces when we were clearing the well. The work began from Sunday,â said Gagan Bihari Raul, the head of the temple managing committee today.
âThey appear to belong to a period before the temple was constructed, in 12th century. Their exact date can be ascertained by archaeologists,â Raul said.
According to historical records, Choudwar, located 11km from Cuttack on the northern banks of the Mahanadi, served as the stateâs capital for 270 years till the Ganga rulers shifted their capital to Cuttack between 1211 and 1230 with the construction of Barabati Fort.
<b>Eight prominent Shiv pithas (temples) were established between 989 and 1211 by the Keshari Dynasty in and around Choudwar, most of which are now in ruins.
The Chateswar-Bateswar is one of the temples that survived the ravages of time. It had a well in its precincts. </b>
The one-foot-long, black statues of granite were once a part of the temple and were later âdumpedâ into the well â believe the committee members.
Though the well water was frequently used for rituals, the well had not been cleaned for a very long time. âThe last cleaning may have been done a century ago, as superstitions run that those who enter the well never return. We decided to undertake clearance when our priest complained of the quality of the water,â said Rabindra Kumar Behera, a member of the temple committee.
âThe work was started on Sunday after a performing a puja,â he added.
The statues were found in tonnes of silt that was cleared out of the well.
<b>The statues are of Hindu gods and goddesses such as Shiv, Nataraj, Durga, Laxmi, Ganesh and some Buddhist deities. Presently, the statues are in the custody of the temple managing committee and are being displayed in the temple</b>.
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