Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister for Education, has urged the Centre to take steps to preserve the freshly excavated ancient Swapneswar Mahadev temple in Odisha’s Puri district.
A survey team from the Odisha chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage unearthed the ruins of an ancient temple. It is found to date back to the 6th-7th century (INTACH). It could be one of the post-Gupta period’s earliest temples.
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) recently unearthed an ancient temple dating from the 6th-7th century CE. The place where the temple is found is at Biropurusottampur village in Pipili Tehsil of Puri district.
It was excavated during a survey of the Ratnachira valley and its mountains, Pradhan said in a request to Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy.
According to legend, Lord Rama drew the Ratnachira river to quench Maa Sita’s thirst, charting its route with her pearl ring. The ancient Kalingan monuments in Ratnachira Valley are a gold mine, with the majority of them undocumented until recently.
According to him, Lord Shiva’s Swapneswar Mahadev temple, which is thought to be 1,300-1,400 years old, is one of the best-preserved examples of early Kalingan architecture in the region.
“However, I am dismayed to learn that the temple’s structure is at risk and urgent preservation measures are required,” Pradhan stated.
