A recent excavation led by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Bhavnagar district has revealed the foundations of a 7th-century Hindu temple belonging to the Maitraka Dynasty. The site is notable for its unusual sarvatobhadra (four-faced) plan, which differs significantly from the standard rectangular shrines typical of the period. This discovery provides critical new evidence regarding the architectural experimentation that took place during the transition from early Gupta styles to the more ornate medieval temple forms of Western India.
Archaeologists found fragments of a sandstone Surya (Sun God) icon and several pillars decorated with ghata-pallava (pot and foliage) motifs. The temple complex appears to have been part of a larger religious settlement, as surrounding trial pits have yielded remains of a brick-lined ritual reservoir and several votive seals inscribed in post-Gupta Brahmi script. Restoration efforts are currently underway to stabilize the stone masonry and protect the site from seasonal flooding.