11th century tombs found in ruins of Old Town
Bhubaneswar: Historian and heritage experts have reported the existence of as many as 16 tombs of the Siva Tritha Mutt in the Old Town area, which is claimed to have had its existence since the 11th century and was related to the legendary Lingaraj Temple.
Sources said heritage expert, Anil Dhir reported about the existence of the century old samadhis in Old Town area to the authorities of the Archaeological Survey of India following which a guided excavation work has been started recently to restore and preserve the samadhi structures.
Dhir said the samadhis are partially buried under rubble and vegetation and had been forgotten resulting in its encroachment from all sides.
Sources said there are six buildings in front of the samadhi, which will be demolished after the “no objection certificates” from their owners are collected.
Dhir said these groups of samadhis are of the earlier mahants of the Siva Tirtha Mutt. The Mutt, which has lost a lot of its relevance, was once an important centre and had many responsibilities in the day-to-day affairs of the temple, Dhir added. According to Dhir, the 16 samadhis, set in a straight line, are a chronological record of the history of the mutt and the Lingaraj Temple. “Even if renovations and alterations were carried out on the premises, the samadhis remained untouched so far,” he said.
Another expert Biswajit Mohanty asked for a proper impact assessment report by experts on the samadhis before undertaking any renovation projects in ancient religious and heritage sites. Destruction of culturally significant structures was tantamount to criminal trespass and vandalism, he added. Experts said a proper team consisting of local stakeholders, religious heads, historians, archaeologists and heritage experts should be constituted and the entire development plans be cleared after proper study by them.