Delanga/Bhubaneswar: Archeological remains of a Jain temple have been found during an archeological excavation carried out at the foothills of Jagati Mundia (a mound) near Darua Nuapatana village under Delanga tehsil in Odisha’s Puri district, professor of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology department in Utkal University Dr Anam Behera informed today.

A broken Jain idol has been found with a symbolic mark of lotus flower on it. Upon observation of the style of the idol carved in Kayastha Swarga posture, it appears to have been made in Eighth Century CE, the historian and researcher speculated.

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A four-member team comprising of the varsity’s researcher Amit Kumar Pradhan, students Shakti Prasad Mishra and Satyabrata Behera, led by professor Behera, recently excavated the site.

Some other remains of Jain temple including broken pieces of carved stones were unearthed. “Probably, a Jain temple existed at the excavation site nearly 1,200 years ago,” the professor stated.

According to the source, the existence of Jain temples in Subei locality of Koraput district was previously established. However, the archeological remains found in Delanga have proved that Jain temples also existed in coastal areas of Odisha.

A small earthen idol of Buddhist Tara has been spotted from the hilltop of Jagati Mundia. The idol contains an inscription in Nagari Lipi, which has been identified by the former chief director of Archeological Survey of India (ASI) Epigraphy Department in Mysore Dr TS Ravishankar.