Remains of a Shiva temple unearthed from the river bed during sand mining.

Jajpur,16/03; The remains of an ancient Shiva temple was unearthed on Monday from the bed of the river Baitarani near village Talia under Dasarathpur block of Jajpur district during sand mining. Some sand lifters stumbled across the buried remains of the temple and a stone Shiva Linga while digging sand from the dry river bed. “ We found a shiva Linga and the pinnacle of the temple during the sand mining in the river. After the discovery of the remains of a temple and Shiva Linga , many villagers stopped the sand mining work. As the top of the ancient temple became visible during the sand mining process. Locals are now making efforts to bring out the temple and Shiva Linga from the depths of the river bed, said Arakhita Rana a local.The recent unearthing of the Shiva Linga and temple indicates that the village and its nearby areas were the parts of Shaiva culture.said Nrusingh Sahoo a noted researcher of the district. Block Development Officer (BDO) of Dasarathpur, Narayan Chandra Nayak visited the site on Tuesday. “ We will soon contact the officials of the cultural department and other government agencies to preserve the unearthing temple and Shiva Linga.

By A.K.Rout.