Stone Stabs Unearthed in Ekamra Kshetra in Bhubaneswar
In the ongoing demolition drive undertaken in the Ekamra Kshetra area of Bhubaneswar, three huge stone blocks were unearthed. The blocks were unearthed approximately 30 metres away from the Meghanand Pacheri, the wall of the Lingaraj temple. The blocks were unearthed while removing rubble of demolished buildings opposite Uttara Dwara, northern gate of Lingaraj temple.
The two excavated slabs are nearly 40 feet in length and three feet square in breadth. They weigh 12 tons approximately each. The pair along with another block which lay half exposed for centuries is identical in size.
According to Anil Dhir, Project Co-ordinator of INTACH, the antiquity of the slabs might date back to the 11th Century and are contemporary to the period of the building of Lingaraj Temple. These hard and evenly carved stone blocks were used for the plinth, columns and beams of the temple. These hard stoner blocks were also laid at the bottom to create a leve; as the temples were built on alluvium soil.
A similar stone block is found near the Aswadwara, the southern gate of the Puri Jagannath temple. The huge stone is popular with the pilgrims who rub a coin at one end and the sound can be heard at the other end.