Sculptures from 9th-10th century found in Pehowa

During a survey in Pehowa, the search committee of the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) acquired some stone sculptures that are believed to be from the 9th-10th century CE (common era).

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A KDB official said, “The committee is currently surveying the 48 Kos Kurukshetra region to document new Tirthas. Those identified and documented by the Board’s team are not only significant from a religious perspective, but also hold great archaeological value, necessitating their preservation.”

Vinod Pancholi, a local scholar at Pehowa has been instrumental in helping the search committee in exploring and further acquiring the sculptures for the museum through donation. The acquired sculptures will be soon registered with the State Archaeology Department and then displayed at the museum. In the past, many other sculptures and archaeological materials, including two Vishnu sculptures from the 9th–10th century CE were recovered and subsequently acquired for the Srikrishna Museum collection. The survey has revealed that most of the Tirthas in this region are located near archaeological sites, while some are situated directly on them.

Archaeologist Rajendra Singh Rana, coordinator (research and documentation) of Srikrishna museum, said, “The worship of Varaha, the boar incarnation of Vishnu, was popular during the Pratihara rule in early medieval North India. Numerous Varaha temples were built across the Pratihara Empire during this period.” “Evidence from Pehowa suggests the existence of a Varaha temple on the banks of the Saraswati river. Additionally, in the 48 Kos Kurukshetra region, the village of Barah Kalan in Jind district houses an 8th–9th century CE Varaha sculpture in its Tirtha temple. The village itself appears to be named after Varaha,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pankaj Setia, Chief Executive Officer of the Kurukshetra Development Board, said that according to folklore, the 48 Kos Kurukshetra region comprises 367 Tirthas of which, the KDB has documented 182 so far. The survey to identify and document the remaining sites is ongoing. During the survey, numerous stone sculptures and pottery pieces from different historical periods have been discovered.

The CEO said that the locals are urged to actively participate in preserving these archaeological findings.