Pendur, a village in Malvan taluka in Sindhudurg district, is the new destination for archaeologists. A team headed by Sachin Joshi, a researcher at the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, aims to shed light on the art and architecture of Konkan's Shilahara dynasty, which held sway in the region during the 10th-12th century.
Preliminary investigations at the site have already revealed a plinth and seven Jain images, even though Jainism had little clout in the region during that time. What is even more intriguing is that it is for the first time that a structure such as this has been noticed in the Sindhudurg district.
The excavation at Sindhudurg will be carried out in collaboration with Mumbai-based NGO, India Study Centre from February. "We stumbled upon Jain images in Pendur during our exploration exercise. I had initially visited the area in search of forts, but came across these images while exploring uninhabited regions of the district. The images were lodged on a 20 by 30 feet platform, which was surrounded by pillars, while the entire structure was buried in wilderness. Later we found out that the site had housed a massive Jain temple belonging to the 10th/12th century's Shilahara Dynasty, which was a feudal clan that established itself in northern and southern Konkan and southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) during the Rashtrakuta period," explained Joshi.
Though the structure had collapsed with time, the images and the plinth remained. "Most prominent among the images are those of lord Mahavira, Kubera and Hindu goddesses Matrika and Mahishasura Mardini. The images of Hindu deities along with those of Jainism is yet another puzzling finding. Local villagers said that about 100-150 years ago, a Jain community had inhabited the area. On further explorations, we found the remains of a few houses in the wilderness. An excavation of the spot will lead us to pottery, antiquities, and even coins that can perhaps trace the remains of the temple back to a dynasty of Jain rulers," said Joshi.
According to Joshi, since there has been very little influence of Jainism in Sindhudurg, it would be interesting to find out how the temple complex ended up in Pendur. "The team will clear the spot for a 10-day excavation exercise starting from the first week of February. It will answer pertinent questions on how these images ended up in Konkan and when the temple came up. Drawings and documentation of how the temple may have originally been, would also be prepared. We would also be collecting local stories of the region for clues pertaining to a Jain temple's origin," he said.
Excavation of the spot will help the researchers understand the dimensions of the structure with the help of Electrical Resistivity Survey. "It will assist us in the study of the images, before carrying out their iconometric and iconographic analysis. We also wish to study other material found at the site during explorations and excavation, apart from understanding the influence of Jain faith in southern Konkan during the Early Medieval period," he said.
Also on the excavation agenda in Pendur, is excavating spots around fresh water lake Dhamapur, which came up during the Vijayanagar period. "It is said that the temples and monuments that surround the lake belong to the Vijayanagar era. All these claims have to be supported with proofs. An excavation of the site will help us relate the origin of these monuments to a particular epoch," said Joshi.
In an earlier exploration, Joshi located three forts - Manikdurg, Kasardurg and fort Navate - in Sawarde village near Chiplun. "I got to know of these forts from the Modi documents at the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal. The reference said that three forts were built in Chiplun and Guhagar region by a Pawar of the Vijayanagar dynasty, 600 years ago," added Joshi.
Author: Neha Madaan | Source: The Times of India [January 08 [2011]