Archive · 8 Dec 2025
Ancient Buddhist Verse Rediscovered in Odisha
A long time ago, in a place called Odisha, India, people wrote important messages on stones and sculptures.
Recently, a young person named Shibajyoti Parida found an old message written on the back of a Buddha statue.
The message is over 1,000 years old and talks about important Buddhist ideas.
A specialist named Bishnu Mohan Adhikari read the message and found out it was from a time when Buddhist art and ideas were very important in that area.
The message was hidden for a long time, and now it has been found, which makes people happy because it tells them more about the past.
Experts want to take good care of this message so that people in the future can learn from it too.
A 9th-century Buddhist inscription was discovered on the reverse of a Buddha sculpture at Madhupur College in Odisha, India.
The inscription, a Buddhist ‘dharani,’ discusses the doctrine of Causation and Cessation, a key concept in Buddhist philosophy.
The text was first noticed by heritage enthusiast Shibajyoti Parida and deciphered by epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari.
The inscription is written in Eastern Kutila script and dates back to the Bhoumakara era, reflecting the Buddhist art and thought of that time.
Historians and heritage scholars are calling for the immediate conservation and documentation of this significant artefact.
- Who
- Shibajyoti Parida (discoverer), Bishnu Mohan Adhikari (epigraphist), Santosh (Lecturer in Odia at Madhupur College)
- What
- Rediscovery of a 9th-century Buddhist inscription on a Buddha sculpture
- When
- The sculpture was unearthed years ago, and the inscription was recently discovered
- Where
- Madhupur College, Kalana village, Rasulpur block, Jajpur district, Odisha, India
- Why
- The inscription was previously unnoticed and has now been deciphered, revealing its historical and spiritual significance
- Location
- Madhupur College, Kalana village, Rasulpur block, Jajpur district, Odisha, India
- Discoverer
- Shibajyoti Parida
- Epigraphist
- Bishnu Mohan Adhikari
- Inscription Era
- 9th century, Bhoumakara era
- Script
- Eastern Kutila script
- Inscription Content
- Buddhist ‘dharani’ verse on Causation and Cessation
- Historical Significance
- Reflects Buddhist art, thought, and ritual practice in coastal Odisha