500-year-old 8 Nag idols recovered from Odisha’s Mahanadi river bed

By Narayan Behera

Nayagarh, Dec. 26: As many as eight metal ‘Nag’ idols were found from the Mahanadi riverbed near Padmavati village in Nayagarh’s district on Sunday, an official of the state government said on Monday.

The idols were found by the locals while they were bathing in the river.

A few years ago, a 500-year-old temple identified as Gopinath Mandir, was discovered in the same area. It is believed that the Nag idols recovered from the river bed might have some connections with Gopinath Mandir or some other temple submerged under the water.

“We believe that as many as 16 temples still remain submerged here in Mahanadi. If the state government tries for retrieval of these temples by adopting some modern technology, this place will emerge as a famous religious tourist attraction. We urge the state government to take steps in this matter,” Shrikant Rout, a local resident.

Following the recovery, the villagers have installed the idols at the Jagannath Temple at the local Padmavati Baulakshetra and started worshipping them.

It is believed that many other ancient temples are also lying hidden in the river in this area.

A round-shaped stone piece resembling a wheel was recently found in Khadag river near Purunasahi village under Kandhamal’s K Nuagaon block last month.

The villagers of Purunasahi believed it to be the wheel of Arjuna’s chariot driven by Lord Krishna during Mahabharat times.