Context:
On December 1, 2024, archaeologists excavating Ratnagiri, Odisha (Jajpur district), discovered important Buddhist artifacts, including a large Buddha head, which indicates the presence of a major statue. This revive six decades of interest in the Buddhist heritage of the area.
Key Discoveries
- Buddha Sculpture
- A large Buddha head, palms, and fingers from what is likely a meditating Buddha statue, Khondalite in stone.
- Other Artifacts
- Three sculpted heads of various sizes.
- A monolithic elephant sculpture.
- Hundreds of votive stupas, varying from the simplest to the most ornate.
- Brick and stone masonry structures.
- Stone carved votives depicting divinities arranged into a Vajrayana Buddhist offering practice.
- Two granite stone tablets inscribed with Sanskrit in Kutila (Siddhamatrika) script.
- Ceramic artifacts, mostly of fine grey ware, in a variety of shapes and sizes.
- Importance
- It is significant that so many votive stupas point to this site as a major pilgrimage center for Vajrayana Buddhism.
- The niches in the votive stupas probably housed male and female Buddhist divinities.
- Further study will determine if this is the largest Buddha head found in India.
The excavation will continue until March before work is halted due to extreme summer heat.
More studies will help determine the influence of Buddhism in the area and the importance of these discoveries.
Source: TH
