Researcher 'discovers' Buddhist artifacts in Odisha

Buddhist artifacts, dating back to the eighth century were discovered at Majhipara village in Odisha's Jajpur district, a researcher claimed today.
Harischandra Prusty, a researcher on Gautama Buddha, claimed to have discovered the Buddhist artifacts while touring Barchana area in the district, a couple of days back.
The discoveries comprise of three broken Arghyastupas (domes), believed to be made of stones from the Buddhist era and remains of a temple found near the stupas.
"The place from where such Arghyastupas were discovered is just a kilometre from the world famous Udayagiri Buddhist monument. These artifacts belong to period between eighth and eleventh century and are rarely found in the world," Prusty claimed.

The artifacts, he said, could be of the period when the Vajrayan sect of Buddhism was at its peak.
The discovered stupas are of various sizes. The first stupa carries an engraved shape of Boddhisattva in mediation posture, the second bears an idol of Chatrubhuja Kurukula while the third stupa carries an idol engraved on it, he said.
"These Buddhist artifacts are contemporary with the ones discovered in other Buddhist shrines of Nalanda, Bodhagaya, Sarnath, Kurum and Bajragiri in India and Buddhist shrine of Java in Indonesia," Prusty claimed.
Notably, the remains of an ancient temple, items of pottery and a well were unearthed from a field of the same village last week.