On Monday, three damaged idols were found while digging a well in the premises of the Shiva temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district which was reopened recently after being shut for 46 years.
Sambhal Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shrish Chandra said while holding the three broken idols in hand that, these were found during the digging of the well.”There is an idol of Lord Ganesh, the other one seems to be of Lord Kartikeya, and more details are being sought. There was debris and soil in the well. The idols were discovered when it was dug…The area has been secured so that excavation can be done smoothly,” he added
The age of the recovered idols of Parvati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya will now be determined through carbon dating, they added. The digging process is still underway. On information about idols being found from inside the well, a huge crowd has gathered at the spot. Yesterday, DM Dr Rajendra Pensia and SP Krishna Kumar Vishnoi performed a puja in the temple. The DM had also written to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) informing about the well near the temple, saying it is ‘Amrit Koop’.
Following the reopening of the temple, its premises were further cleaned, and electricity connections were restored with the installation of CCTV cameras for security purposes. DM Dr Rajendra Pensia said there are 19 wells, 52 inns and 68 pilgrimage sites in Sambhal. A preliminary probe has revealed that this is the temple of Kartik Mahadev and its well is Amrit Koop, he said adding that security guards have been deployed here.
