A DAY after members of a local Hindu outfit reopened a temple in Firozabad's Rasoolpur area that had been closed for over three decades, members of other Hindu organisations began excavating a site in the district's Kashmiri Gate area on Tuesday, believing that a temple buried for more than six decades might be unearthed, police said. The members believe that around 60 per cent of the temple is buried approximately 10 feet underground. By Monday evening, they had dug nearly three feet before halting the work as darkness fell. On Tuesday, they resumed the excavation, aiming to complete it by Wednesday. Upon receiving information about the digging, a police team reached the site to prevent any untoward incident. The district administration and police confirmed that members of Hindu organisations are cleaning the premises of a temple which has been closed for an extended period. Mohan Bajrangi, the Zila Seh Sehyojak of Firozabad’s Bajrang Dal, claimed that the information about the “buried temple” at Kashmiri Gate was provided by one of their members. “We are conducting the excavation only after verifying this information with elderly residents of the area. They confirmed that a temple run by a farmer’s family once stood here. The upper portion of the temple is still visible, further supporting this claim. Around six decades ago, the family left the area and took the idols with them. With no one visiting the site, the temple gradually became buried,” said Bajrangi, who also played a key role in reopening the temple in Rasoolpur. The district chief of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Rajeev Sharma, said, “We believe that the temple is over 100 years old. Around six decades ago, people stopped visiting for worship, leading to its closure. A large portion of the temple is buried and we are now excavating it. The area surrounding the temple has remained vacant.” Sharma added, “Earlier, some families lived near the temple, but over time, they relocated. A few families now reside in the area. Once the temple is fully excavated, we will be able to determine whether any idols remain inside.” ASP Firozabad, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said, “There was a temple that had been closed as people stopped visiting for worship. People are now cleaning the premises to resume prayers there. There has been no objection or reaction to the move.” Firozabad City Magistrate Rajendra Kumar said the land on which the temple stands is "privately owned and has not been encroached upon". On Sunday, after learning about a temple in the Rasoolpur area that had remained locked for over three decades, members of a Hindu organisation visited the site and broke open the lock. They then offered prayers.
