ASI conducts survey of ‘Kalki Vishnu’ temple in Sambhal

A team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspected an old well on the ‘Kalki Vishnu’ temple premises here on Saturday, a day after the agency conducted a survey of a recently discovered temple in the district.

The priest of the Kalki Vishnu temple, Mahendra Prasad Sharma, said, “There is a ‘krish koop’ (well) here. It is not closed, but there is no water in it. This well is mentioned in the ‘Skanda Purana’’ along with all pilgrimage sites of Sambhal... this well is on the temple premises, inside the old boundary.”

Sambhal SDM Vandana Mishra said, “A team of the ASI visited the ‘Kalki Vishnu’ temple. The ‘krish koop’ here is said to be ancient, however, its origin date is yet to be determined.”

On Friday, a four-member team of the ASI surveyed the recently-discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple, five pilgrimage sites and 19 ‘koops’. The Kartik Mahadev temple (or Bhasma Shankar temple) was re-opened on December 13 after the authorities said they stumbled upon the covered structure during an anti-encroachment drive.

The temple – which houses an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling – has been locked since 1978. The authorities have planned to reopen the nearby well too. Sambhal DM Rajender Pensiya had earlier said that the ancient temple and the well were being excavated.