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A significant number of devotees thronged the Shiv-Hanuman temple in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal on Tuesday to offer their prayers at the time of morning aarti.
Several devotees flocked to the temple premises to perform puja rituals. Devotees were seen chanting bhajan 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 first morning aarti on December 20. The Shiv-Hanuman temple has been closed since 1978. Meanwhile, yesterday manual labourers were deployed by the Nagar Palika to continue the underground excavation work at an age-old stepwell in the district, which was uncovered by a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Sunday. Sambhal's District Magistrate, Rajendra Pensiya, confirmed the finding, stating that a 'baoli' (stepwell) with an area of 400 square meters had been unearthed. He explained, "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 built from bricks." He also added, "This baoli is said to have been built during the time of the grandfather of Bilari's king." The excavation work began after a public meeting on Saturday, which brought attention to the structure. Pensiya said, "The structure is fully covered in mud, and the Nagar Palika team is removing the topsoil. Currently, only 210 square meters are uncovered, and the rest is occupied. We will take action to remove the encroachment." He further estimated the stepwell could be over 150 years old. Krishna Kumar Sonkar, the Executive Officer of the Municipal Corporation, shared, "As soon as we came to know that there was a baoli here, we started the excavation work. We will continue the work as we learn more about it." (ANI)
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