Remains of 1300 years old ancient temples found near Bhopal

Bhopal, Oct.16 (ANI): Scientists of the Archaeological Department have found out the remains of 1300 year old ancient temples at Ashapuri village near Bhopal.

Ashapuri village is located around 36 kilometers off Bhopal.

The debris of the temple seems to be massive in which the Bhoothnath temple was the biggest.

The archaeologists have named this excavation project as 'Bhootnath Temple' series.

"We have found ruins of temples dating back to 1300 years, even before the Parmar Dynasty. Before the Parmar dynasty there were Pratihar dynasty rulers in this area. After them the Parmar dynasty came. Pratihar dynasty rulers constructed temples with steeple shaped structure. These temples were large and beautiful," said Ashok Das, Commissioner, Madhya Pradesh Archaeological Survey of India.

"The 21 temples you can see here were made during the Pratihar rule. The largest temple whose cleanliness is yet to be done might have been made by the Parmar dynasty," he added.

The excavators have found over 400 remains of idols of Hindu gods and goddesses made during the regime of the Pratihar and the Parmar dynasty rulers.

The State government has taken the responsibility to preserve these relics of Indian history.

"It is the responsibility of the Archaeology Department to find things of historical importance and preserve them. That is why the State government is doing this work," said Laxmikant Sharma, Minister of Culture of Madhya Pradesh.

According to the archaeologists, the temples were built by the Parmar and Pratihar dynasties and certain locals contended that the Mughal rulers razed down these temples. By Ram Chand Sahu (ANI)