• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

A day after a Shiva temple was found near Sambhal's Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh, the district administration removed a wall built in front of the temple as part of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive, news agency ANI reported on Sunday. The temple grounds have also been cleaned, electrical arrangements have been set up, and CCTV cameras have been installed to enhance security.

In the wake of a recent episode of communal tensions in the area, the administration also deployed Police personnel outside the Lord Shiv and Hanuman temple which reopened after 1978 and a prayer ceremony (aarti) was performed on Sunday morning.

Notably, the Sambhal district administration discovered the temple in dilapidated condition during an anti-encroachment and anti-electricity theft drive in the densely populated area.

"We came in the morning and cleaned the temple to perform the aarti. A Brahmin should be appointed here so that he can stay here. Till the time caretaker (for this temple) is appointed, we will take responsibility," Acharya Brahm Shukla, who performed the prayer ceremony, told ANI.

"I came to see the temple and performed the Pooja. This temple is around 400 years old. I had come here years ago and there were dharamshalas around the temple. But now only houses remain. I had seen it on TV and WhatsApp. Thus, I came to see the temple. This is a Lord Shiva and Hanuman temple," Rajiv Kumar Gupta, a devotee, told ANI.

Sambhal Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vandana Mishra announced plans to restore the original structure of a temple that reopened on Saturday after 46 years.

"We have written to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)... Police will be deployed near the temple," she said.

Earlier, Sambhal Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Kumar Chaudhary revealed that the temple was discovered during an inspection related to encroachment complaints.

"We received information about encroachment on a temple in the area. Upon inspection, we discovered a temple at the site," Chaudhary told ANI.

Sambhal District Magistrate (DM) Rajendra Pensiya, who visited the site, reported that an ancient well was uncovered after a ramp constructed over it was removed.

(With ANI Inputs)