An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s19.t3.4

v1.c9.s19.t3.4

Meanwhile a new centre of a flourishing culture had come into being in Dt Keonjhar. Here we find, between Sitabhinji and Denguaposi, two adjacent villages, extensive remains of an ancient township and a number of rock-shelters of which one contains a tempera painting of a royal procession depicting a king on elephant with a contingent of cavalry and infantry. At the bottom is inscribed in 5th-century characters the name of Mahārājā Diśābhañja, the suffix of the name indicating the family to which the king belonged. This remarkable work of art recalling the tradition of Bagh in c. India, along with other finds such as a *caturmukha-liṅga*, scattered boulders inscribed in the s. Indian characters of the 5th century and a soapstone figurine amply demonstrate that Sitabhinji was a prosperous town, as well as a flourishing Śaiva centre.