Deogarh: Amid the soft murmur of flowing water, lies a spectacular assemblage of ancient Buddhist monuments in Odisha's Deogarh district.
Aksharshila, a picturesque little village, sits on the banks of river Brahmani. Though unassuming, the village houses one of the most stunning pieces of rocks, which stand a testament to India's rich history.
Several rocks on the river bed have on them artistic inscriptions resembling animals, birds and reptiles. Sadly, however, many such rocks have been lost to the deep waters of the Brahmani, owing to decades of neglect from the government.
According to legend, during the eighth century, Buddhist monks from Nalanda used to pass through the Brahmani river basin while on their way to Ratnagiri in Odisha. As they used to rest here, they had inscribed some scripts on the rocks in the ancient 'Pali' language.
Later, Sara Basudeba Sudhal Deb, the King of Bamanda spotted the rock inscriptions and subsequently set up a habitation here. The king named the village Aksharshila, as per the inscriptions on the rocks.
Apart from these rocks, many other Buddhist monuments have been found in the Brahmani river basin in Barkot block. However, a lot of them got submerged due to the Brahmani Dam Project. One can see the pieces of monuments only during summers when the river bed dries up.
Unfortunately, neither the local administration nor the state government has shown any inclination towards conservation of these monuments.
Numerous research scholars and historians have opined that this place has the potential to become a prime tourist spot in Odisha if the rock monuments are preserved.
