BHUBANESWAR:  After remains of a temple resurfaced from Mahanadi waters in Padmabati village of Nayagarh, a team of expert collected samples from the site on Tuesday to ascertain its age.

IIT-Bhubaneswar researcher from School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, Rajeeb Lochan Mishra, and archeologist from Uttar Pradesh’s MJP Rohilkhand University, Anup Ranjan Mishra, gathered carbon and sediment samples from the river bank, temple’s crown and adjacent areas. 

With the help of locals, they also dug up a 1.6 metres deep pit at a spot some 400 metres from Mahandi river’s present bed in the area. "We have collected samples of the deposits from the pit. It could be the spot which was earlier flooded by the river. Deposits from this area will help us study the reason behind shifting of the river," said Mishra. 

The samples will be sent to Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. It may take around three months for the results to come. After receiving results from the laboratory, the experts are hopeful of being able to ascertain when the temple was built and submerged. The experts, who had taken up the project independently, claimed that rains made their task difficult. 

Having seen the temple from a close distance, Mishra observed a few surprising facts. "The temple, as reported earlier, is not made of stones. It is made of bricks. I examined the temple thoroughly. I went inside water to study the structure. I found that the bricks were very different from the ones that we use today. I haven’t such bricks before. Moreover, cement and sand were used to bind the bricks. Now, that is interesting. If it is an old temple, it’s shocking to find cement," the expert claimed.  

Earlier, an archaeology survey team Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) stumbled upon 'mastaka' of the temple submerged in Mahanadi at Padmabati village. It was claimed that the temple, dedicated to Gopinath Deba, resurfaced after 11 years. 

Meanwhile, the ASI will soon begin archaeological investigation into the age and construction details of the submerged temple. Superintending Archaeologist of ASI, Bhubaneswar Circle, Arun Malik, said a team will visit the site soon for preliminary investigation.

Nayagarh Collector Poma Tudu, who had written to ASI seeking intervention to study the temple, visited the spot on Tuesday. Steps will be taken to develop the village as a tourism spot, she told mediapersons.