An antique idol of Lord Buddha was found during renovation of a tank in Kendrapara district, police said in Kendrapada on Friday. today.
The idol was found by the villagers of Laxminarayanpur during renovation of a village tank under NREGA onThursday, Mahendras Singh, sarpanch of the village gram panchayat said.
The about one ft high idol is dated back to seventh century A.D. during which Buddhism flourished in Orissa under Bhaumakar dynasty, historian Harischandra Prusti, principal of Derabisi College, claimed.
Other idols have been found in the area in the past but they were not of Buddha, the sarpanch said.
The finding of the antique Buddha idol assumed significance as the area is close to the famous Buddhist trinity Udayagiri, Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri.