Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Team Surveys Jharsuguda Ancient Rock Art Sites for Conservation

Jharsuguda: A team of eight officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) arrived in Jharsuguda on Thursday to inspect two significant ancient rock art sites�Vikramkhol, located 33 kilometres from the district headquarters, while another site, Ullapgarh which is located 6 Kilometer from Belpahar. The visit aimed to assess the conservation and preservation needs of the historic inscriptions at both sites.

Dr Dibishad Garnayak, in charge of the Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India, Puri Circle, stated, “Vikramkhol is an ancient rock art site, believed to be 3,000�4,000 years old. The engravings here include animal carvings and symbolic inscriptions. It was first discovered by K.P. Jaiswal in 1932. Since then, many archaeologists have visited this area. The site has since been protected by ASI, and its preservation and maintenance are currently handled by ASI. We visited the site today to assess how it can be further developed with the support of the tourism department and local administration. We are also visiting Ullapgarh, which is a better-preserved site where the inscriptions are more visible. Our focus is on preserving these inscriptions in a better way.”

Lakhanpur Block Development Officer Binay Kumar Patel, who was also present during the visit, shared further plans for the development of Vikramkhol. �Under the guidance of Jharsuguda District Collector Aboli Sunil Naravane and Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, there is a plan to develop Vikramkhol into a tourist attraction. The ASI team, along with officials from the tourism department, is working to ensure the preservation of these ancient rock inscriptions so that future visitors can appreciate the region’s rich history.�

Key officials in present during the survey included Jharsuguda Tourist Officer N. Mahapatra, Dr D. B. Garnayak (Superintendent of ASI, Puri Circle), C. R. Das (Deputy Engineer), Dr P. P. Pradhan (Assistant Superintendent), Dr S. S. Panda (Deputy Chemist), Dr Sudipta Sen (Assistant Engineer), Subhendu Khuntia (Survey Officer), Pabitra Mohan Barik (Drawing Officer), Dr Umakanta Bhoi (Assistant Archaeologist), and Debasish Mishra (Photographer)