About the Place & what to see:

Abhana is a village in Soro police-station, 19.2 km. from Bahanaga railway station. In 1981,the place came to prominence when the students of Belabhumi college cleaned the debris around the Brahmani temple of the village. The Brahmani temple complex was built in laterite stones in Khakhra design. The dilapidated Jagamohan of the temple under the debris was exposed up to the plinth level only after the excavation of the site. The lintel of Brahmani temple preserves an inscription which palaeographically can be assigned to the Bhaumakara period.

The remains exposed during the clearance include two images of Mahisamardini Durga, a Saptamatruka panel, figures of Ganesh, Parvati, Boddhisatva, Jaina Tirthankaras & teracotta tablets depicting Buddists dharanis. Such seals containing Buddhist dharanis are also found in different places of the village during agricultural operations ,construction of houses, digging of wells etc. This indicates that there was a Buddhist Vihar at the place which was subsequently changed to a Brahminical site. The presiding deity, Brahmani, widely acclaimed by the local people is actually a Chamunda image of the Saptamatruka group. The figure is visible only from neck portion upwards and the four hands. The lower limb of the figure is under the ground. The archaeological remains are preserved in a room of the Belabhumi college at Abhana. There is a short inscription on one of the stone sculptures preserved here.