The present volume is of relevance to scholars as well as students The book is divided into four sections, viz. Art, Archaeology & History, Architecture and Culture. The volume covers a wide range of themes and attempts to focus on Prachi Valley's local and regional history. This book also illustrates the sculptures of Prachi Valley and delineates its impact on art and architecture.

Dr. CHITTA RANJAN SAHOO (b. 1982), Ph. D. (Visual Arts), M.F.A. (Painting, Portrait Painting, Mural Design, Creative Painting & Philosophy of Art), is presently stationed as Assistant Professor at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bhubaneswar as a Fashion Communications faculty. His area of research includes sculptural art, painting, portrait study, history of painting and mural design among others. He has been an integral part of various workshops and design conclaves within NIFT network. He has a number of research publications on the heritage of Prachi Valley to his credit. The wide studies on art, architecture and painting of Dr. Sahoo are well documented. He has contributed a lot through qualitative participation in various national seminars and exhibitions. Dr. Sahoo has won several accolades and decorations which include best Artist award in visual art at an exhibition organized by Handicrafts Development Centre (2008), honour on the occasion of 7th International Beach Festival, Puri(2011) etc.. His painting collections has been showcased at Raj Bhavan, Odisha, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation, Panthanivas at Konark, State Election Commission, Bhubaneswar, Odisha State Textile Department as well as Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. His solo art exhibition "PRACHI KALIKA" at Prachi Mahotsava, Niali, and "KAMADHENU" at Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar (inaugurated by His Excellency, Governor of Odisha) got extensive coverage and nice reviews.

Odisha situated on the eastern coast of Bay of Bengal has a distinct position in the cultural map of India. Geomorphologically the state forms a part of the Eastern Ghat geomorphic province of India. The state is drained by a number of rivers originating from the western hills. The research in the ancient and partially extinct river Prachi, a distributary of the river Mahanadi, originated from Dakamba near Naraj revealed prosperous socio-religious-cultural landscape and well developed multidimensional aspects of human culture and civilization at least from the early-historic period.

The Prachi has drawn the attention of scholars from various disciplines right from the beginning of the 20th century for its varied and rich cultural remains. The valley is studded with several historical buildings, religious shrines, ancient forts, ruins and remains. Unlike elsewhere in the state the valley draws the attention to several brick structures and monuments along with quite a few stone structures. Mention may be made of the important brick structures such as Amaresvara Siva temple at Amaresvara, Angesvara Mahadeva temple at Nua Pitapada, Durga temple at Motia, Paschima Sambhu temple at Krushnaprasadagarh, the Gramesvara temple at Lataharana, the Isvara Mahadeva temple at Jiunti Sasana, the Gramesvara temple at Nivarana, the Dasabhuja Durga temple at Ambapada, the Barabhuji Durga temple at Amanakudagarh, the Chandi temple at Kenduli etc.

The stone temples of historical importance on the banks of the river Prachi such as Akhandalesvara temple at Prataprudradeva, Kapilesvara Siva temple at Kapilesvarapur, Sobhanesvara Mahadeva temple at Niali, Svapnesvar temple at Sundargaon, Dakshinesvara Siva temple at Bagalpur, Svapnesvar temple at Adaspur, Madhava temple at Madhava, Varahi temple at Chaurasi, Gangesvari Temple at Bayalisbati, etc are equally important.

The profusion of a number of Buddhist and Jaina images show that Prachi valley was also an important centre of both the pantheons. The sculptures include the images of Lord Buddha in bhumisparsamudra in Dakshinesvara Siva temple at Bagalpur and Kuruma, Tara images at Jiunti Sasana and Phirifira, Avalokitesvara images at Kenduli, Kuruma and Sanhuli, Marichi images at Astaranga, etc. The Jaina images of Risabhanatha along with other twenty-four Tirthankars in Svapnesvara Siva temple at Adaspur along with other Jaina divinity found at Jihola, Kenduli, Gramesvara temple at Lataharana, etc speak of the importance of the Prachi valley.

The partially extinct river of Prachi, a distributory of the Mahanadi played a vital role in enriching the socio- economic and cultural life of the people of Odisha in general and that of coasta! Odisha in particular. The valley with a thick concentration of population is studded with scores of historical buildings, religious shrines, forts and archeological ruins and remains which be speak in eloquent silence the symbiosis of various religious faiths like Jainism, Budhism, Saivism, Vaisnavism and Saktism with all their offshoots. Some of the temples are among the best in the state in terms of their scheme of architecture and sculptural wealth that they are adorned with. Mention may be made of temples like Varahi Temple at Chaurasi, Durga-Madhava temple at Madhava, Sobhoneswar temple at Niali, etc. Recent archaeological explorations and excavations have pushed the antiquity of Prachi valley to the Protohistoric period which was hither to limited to the early historic period.

The present monograph by Dr. Chittaranjan Sahoo which is based on his Ph.D. thesis submitted to Utkal University Culture, Bhubaneswar is the first of its kind in the field of Visual Art and Archaeology. Inspired and amazed by the extant monuments and superbly carved sculptures those adorned the monuments of the valley where the author had his up brings was motivated to reproduce these priceless heritage in his canvas. It is basically is an analytical approach of recreating the stone monuments and sculptures of the Prachi in painting with a critical note of his observations Since most of the monuments are in a ruined and dilapidated condition and on the verge of collapse and disappearance and similarly the sculptures in verging degrees of erosion such as endeavor by Dr. Sahoo to recreate the monuments and sculptures in painting is an innovative effort to present and preserve the priceless heritage on canvas as an alternative of photographic reproductions. It speaks about the perception of an artist of the antique art object and talks in volumes about the present state of preservation of the monuments of the valley.

I am sure the volume would be a useful addition to the study of visual art and archeological of Odisha.