Odisha: Historians demand ground survey report be made public after ancient 'Mahisasurmardini' idol discovery

A day after an ASI team discovered an idol of 'Mahisasurmardini' believed to be 1,400 years old while clearing the 'garbhagriha' (sanctum sanctorum) of a partially buried temple here, historians have called for making public last year’s ground penetration radar survey report of the area for better understanding of the hidden artifacts.

Apart from the idol, several other inscriptions and sculptures have been found from the site near the Shree Lingaraj Temple, ASI Superintending Archaeologist (Bhubaneswar Circle) Arun Malik said.

It is likely to be 1,400 years old or dating back to the 7th century BC, the ASI said.

This was the second such discovery in the state capital after an Archaeological Survey of India team in February stumbled upon an idol of Lord Vishnu while unearthing the ruins of another ancient temple in the Old Town area of Bhubaneswar.

Excavation work is being carried out between the Bhabani Shankar Temple and the Suka Sari Temple in the Old Town area.

Historian Anil Dhir, who has been at loggerheads with the state government over the ongoing beautification project in the city, said the ground penetration radar survey report of the entire area, conducted by IIT-Gandhinagar last year, should be made public.

He also claimed that there are many more such buried structures in the area.

Heritage explorer and expert Deepak Nayak said the ASI should not declare the ‘Mahisasurmardini’ idol to be 1,400 years old as only the upper portion of it has been excavated.

''The age of any ‘Mahisasurmardini’ sculpture can be identified considering the iconography of the demon the goddess is slaying… To determine the age on the basis of the upper portion is wrong; only after it is fully excavated can the actual age be ascertained,'' he said.