Bhubaneswar: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) team, comprising of Anil Dhir and Deepak Nayak, stumbled upon an ancient rock sculpted elephant in Kanas Block of Puri district in Odisha during exploration of monuments in the Daya River Valley last month.
The sculpted elephant is very similar to the rock-cut elephant found at Dhaulagiri, which has been dated by historians to the 3rd century BC (272-231 B.C), one of the oldest known, said Dhir, adding that it was found at the far end of Gada Balabhadrapur village near Nirakapur, about 5 km from Mandakini River Bridge on New Jagannath Sadak. The spot is nestled in the flood plains of the Daya and Mandakini rivers.
“The surrounding region where the elephant was found is rich in Buddhist antiquities, discovered over the last few years. In fact, the surrounding regions of Gada Balabhadrapur like Delanga, Kanas, Aragada, Naranagada, Tipuri, Sirai Dandapata have yielded many Buddhist antiquities. Many of the early era temples of the place have enshrined Buddhist images,” he said.
Earlier, the INTACH team had also discovered a rock-cut cake with rock art and inscriptions at Naranagada.
“The history of Gada Balabhadrapur village is shrouded in antiquity. Being in the flood plains of both the Daya and Mandakini, the village was, and still is, prone to frequent flooding. It is believed that a fort was established by the Bhoi rulers of Khurda sometime in the 16th century. There are many remnants of a fort and its moat (Gadakhai), which are evident in this village. The monolithic rock cut elephant figure, the laterite pillar and other ancient stone blocks are all symbols of Buddhism that once flourished in the region. A systematic archaeological excavation will yield many more artefacts,” he added.
Dhir further said that Gada Balabhadrapur elephant is very similar to the other three monolithic elephants found across Odisha, all of which have been studied and acknowledged to be from early times. “The most notable among these rock elephant is seen at Kaima in Jajpur, which is an exact copy. Even the stone pillar near the elephant at Kaima is replicated at Gada Balabhadrapur site. There are other similar pillars which lie underground as reported by the villagers,” he said.
The rock elephant at Sitabinj in Keonjhar and the one at Dhauli are the other examples, he added.
According to different Buddhist scriptures and the Jataka Tales, Buddha, in his previous births as Boddhisatva, incarnated in the form of elephant.
A five members team of INTACH Odisha Chapter, comprising of Amiya Bhushan Tripathy, Sanjib Hota, Deepak Nayak, Biswajit Mohanty and Dhir, visited the site recently. They recorded the oral history of the place by interacting with the villagers and are of the opinion that it is an important archaeological find which needs proper care and protection. Both the elephant and the stone pillar are presently under an ancient Tamarind tree. It the tree falls down, as can happen due to the frequent cyclones, it will damage them.
“The government has been requested to make a proper study of these artefacts and take measures for their proper preservation and conservation,” said INTACH State Convener AB Tripathy, adding that a proper archaeological survey of the area should be undertaken, as there are many buried artefacts in the flood plain.
