Art and Archaeology of Orissa: Recent Perspectives

The present volume is a pioneering effort to unravel the rich archaeological potential of the middle Mahanadi Valley in Orissa that was traditionally considered terra incognita or an area of isolation. The area roughly extends from the Hirakud dam in Sambalpur district up to the Satkosia in Angul district. The present volume entitled Art and Archaeology of Orissa-Recent Perspectives with a collection of three important research papers contributed by three senior scholars based on their field works negate this long-standing hypothesis that culturally this was an area of isolation or of recent human penetration. Rather, it was an important geo-cultural region right from the pre-historic times. P.K. Behera's extensive and intensive explorations along with a series of trial excavations conducted in the middle Mahanadi Valley have brought to limelight a large number of ancient settlements, ranging in date from the Mesolithic to the Early Historical Periods. Sadasiba Pradhan, editor of the present volume, presents the results of trial excavations conducted at Nuagarh, a proto-historic site in the Middle Mahanadi Valley. Locally known as Asurgarh, the site yielded material evidence from the Chalcolithic to the Early Historic Periods. P.K. Nayak in his extensive study of the temples of Western Orissa tries to focus the regional variations and peculiarities in the domain of temple building, an important cultural trait of the Medieval Period. Profusely illustrated with maps, line drawings and photographs, this volume presents a detailed cultural spectrum of the region and paces the way for further extensive research. This volume will fascinate students and scholars of art history and archaeology.