Berhampur: The inscriptions on another Sati stone, found in Odisha, have been deciphered by Bishnu Mohan Adhikari, member of Epigraphical Society of India.
The Sati stone was noticed by Raj Kumar Rate, lecturer in History, Khariar Autonomous College in Kalahandi district. During his PhD field study, Rate got to know about this inscribed Sati stone in December 2021.
With the help of his colleague Subhransis Barik, Chitta Ranjan Jena and university staff Rupadhar Gomango and Pruruba Swain, he informed the then vice-chancellor.
With the permission of the vice-chancellor, the Sati stone, which was in a dilapidated condition, was recovered from an open drain by the team. Later, the stone was shifted to the History Department of Rajendra University, Balangir and Rate informed Adhikari about the inscriptions in November 2024.
According to epigraphist Adhikari, these inscriptions are about a lady who performed Sati rites dedicating the divine god.
“The three-panel Sati stone is adorned with the symbols of the Sun and crescent moon and two female palms in Abhayamudra in the upper part. In the middle section, we saw the depiction of two human figures worshipping Shivalinga while one male figure held a chhatra. In the lower section, we saw four-line Nagari script inscription,” he said.
It is noteworthy that in November 2024, Rate and Adhikari had deciphered the first inscribed Sati stone of Odisha, which was discovered from Diaton village of Balangir district. The discovery of two inscribed Sati stones holds significance in the study of Odisha’s memorial stones tradition.
