Utkal University students have discovered an ancient idol of lord Buddha with a seven-head snake in the Govindapur area near Banpur in Khordha district. While 80 per cent of the five-foot statue was buried in soil, the face of lord Buddha with the snake was found outside the ground.
The university researchers have sought assistance from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the State Museum for more research on the statue.
The 1,400-year-old idol was first found by Utkal University student Dakhineswar Jena of the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology beneath a banyan tree.
After Jena discussed about this with his Assistant Professor Anam Behera, a team of researchers led by Prof Behera and comprising of students Minaketan Sundar Ray and Ramakant Pradhan along with Jena started digging near the tree.
“The statue of lord Buddha has similarities with the statues discovered earlier from Ratnagiri and lalitgiri in Jajpur district. This discovery shows that Buddhists were residing in the Banpur area in Khordha district earlier,” said the department professor.
According to locals’ belief, there was rain for seven days when lord Buddha was meditating for knowledge in the area. During the period, the seven-head snake had protected him against any hindrance.
Twenty years ago, a farmer had found the statue when the upper portion of the snake’s hood was hit by his bullock while ploughing the fields. Without digging it further, he ignored thinking it as a rock. Subsequently, people forgot the incident after a banyan tree grew on the statue, the locals said.