Tension Brews During Digging Of 100-year-old Well In Sambhal, Police Intervene

The spotting of the temple has sparked contesting claims as the Hindu side demanded immediate worship while the other party claimed to possess land deed.

Sambhal: Tension has been brewing in Sambhal since the Kartikeshwar Mahadev Temple was opened to the public and the following process of finding more temple remains and wells in the vicinity. A 100-year-old temple was unearthed during the digging of a well but timely intervention by police stopped tension from mounting and the digging process continued unabated.

The spotting of the temple has sparked contesting claims as the Hindu side demanded an immediate start of worship while the other party claimed to possess a deed of the land. The digging on vacant land near the mosque in Mohalla Ladam Sarai of Sadar Kotwali area unearthed a wall which is at the centre of the dispute.

However, the district administration is in the process of identifying all extinct walls and renovating all the abandoned wells in the area. A protest was staged when a team from the local municipality tried digging up a filled-up well on December 24 and the police had to intervene to bring the situation under control.

Meanwhile, some locals have claimed, based on a map, that Hindus worshipped here on auspicious days and after the discovery of the abandoned well the administration should make every arrangement to resume the worship. Presently the digging continues and a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the spot for carbon dating to determine the antiquity of the well.

The morning aarti was performed in the Kartikeshwar Mahadev temple on Wednesday, drawing devotees from across the country. Priest Shashikant Shukla, who led the aarti, said people from various regions, including Banaras, Delhi, Vrindavan, and Muzaffarpur, have been visiting the temple to offer prayers and seek blessings.

"People are coming from far-off places, such as Banaras, Delhi, Vrindavan, and Muzaffarpur. On Tuesday, people from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Vrindavan came here to perform Hari Kirtan. It was a great experience," the priest said.
Shukla also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for enabling the reopening of the temple, saying, "I'm deeply grateful to PM Modi and CM Yogi as they enabled our Hindu community's worship and facilitated the reopening of this temple for darshan".

A labourer digs of the well in Sambhal (ETV Bharat)

On December 24, the morning aarti was also performed at the Shiv-Hanuman temple with a significant number of devotees offering prayers and performing puja rituals. Devotees were seen chanting bhajans and spiritual songs inside the temple.The temple was rediscovered during an anti-encroachment campaign by the district police and administration on December 14 and held its maiden morning aarti on December 20. The temple had been closed since 1978.On December 22, a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) uncovered an age-old stepwell in Chandausi. The discovery came after the reopening of the Shiv-Hanuman temple, which had been closed for 46 years.Confirming the finding, district magistrate Rajendra Pensiya said a 'baoli' (stepwell) covering an area of 400 square meters had been unearthed."The structure, which has around four chambers, includes floors made of marble and bricks. The second and third floors are made of marble, while the upper floors are of bricks. This baoli is said to have been built during the time of the grandfather of Bilari's king," he said.