1300-year-old Buddhist stupa found in Odisha’s Jajpur

Subject : History

Section: Art and culture

Concept :

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found a 1,300-year-old stupa in the middle of a mining site in Odisha’s Jajpur district from where Khondalite stones were excavated for the project around the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
According to preliminary analysis, the stupa is 4.5 metres tall and may belong to the 7th or 8th century.
This stupa was found at Parabhadi situated near Lalitagiri, which was a major Buddhist complex, having a large number of stupas and monasteries.
Post the discovery of the Buddhist stupa from the mining site, the ASI intervened and asked the Odisha government to stop mining in the location.
The ASI would now try to fully retrieve the structure’s archaeological heritage, restore it to its original form and undertake the protection of the site.
Experts opine that the State government must conduct a heritage assessment of a site when it is located near any place of archaeological interest, before giving permission for mining as the destruction of smaller artefacts such as stupas cannot be restored if destroyed.

Khondalite stones:

They were widely used in ancient temple complexes.
The State government had come up with an ambitious plan to spend ₹3,208 crore under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme in three years to transform Puri into a world heritage city.
Khondalite stones are proposed to be used widely to maintain aesthetic value of some projects such as the heritage security zone, the Jagannath Ballav pilgrim centre, Puri lake development project, the Atharnala heritage project and the Matha Development Initiative.
Controversy
After discovery of the Buddhist stupa from the mining site, the ASI intervened and asked the Odisha government to stop mining through its Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). The mining has since stopped.
Sukhuapada was the biggest of six Khondalite stone blocks reserved for the OMC.
With the ASI taking control of Sukhuapada site, the OMC may find it difficult to supply Khondalite stones for the State government’s ambitious temple development programmes.
It may trigger another round of confrontation between the Centre and the State government. Violation of the ASI guidelines was a major controversy surrounding the redevelopment project in Puri.