The Government agency is all set to dig a 19th century treasure of
1,000 tonnes of gold after a sadhu apparently dreamed about it and convinced a Union Minister that it could help alleviate some of the country’s financial troubles, an Indian Express report stated.
The sadhu,
Shobhan Sarkar, had dreamt that
Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh, who was martyred fighting the British in
1857 mutiny, asked him to take control of the gold buried in the remains of his fort in
Daundiya Kheda village of Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh.
Sadhu, who has a good amount of following in the region, informed the local administration, the State Government and even the Central Government about the dream and who without wasting much time on it began to work on it. According to the report, initially, everyone dismissed it as a joke. However, Sarkar got worried when he heard
the Government was actually planning to dig the place and will apparently take the custody of the gold in various temples.
“We were lucky that Union Minister Charan Das Mahant took it seriously and visited the spot and met Shobhan Sarkar. Since then teams of the Geological Survey of India and the ASI are working on it,” Swami Om, a disciple of Sarkar said. Mahant, who belongs to Chhattisgarh and is Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industry, visited the area on September 22 and October 7 respectively.
He told The Indian Express that he heard about the hidden treasure from a panditji from Kanpur who visits him frequently. “He told me that Shobhan Sarkar wanted to meet me. When I met him, he told me about the reserves. He said the quantity was so huge that if the Government can excavate it, it could be handy since there was a crisis with the Rupee,” Mahant said.
“I was surprised. I then wrote to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Home Minister and Mines Minister and related departments such as the ASI and Geological Survey of India about the reserves. I informed Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi too about it,” he said. Mahant said the Mines Ministry has informed him that a survey conducted by them has confirmed the presence of gold deposits. The news report also quoted sources in the Union Culture Ministry confirming that its attention had been drawn to the issue by Mahant and the ASI is seriously considering excavating the site.
“
A team visited the site on Friday and depending on its view, an excavation may be conducted,” a senior official said. At the site, boundaries have been marked on a mound on which the fort was situated on the banks of the Ganga. “
We will begin the excavation work at the earliest. All our primary surveys have been completed,” said Indu Prakash, deputy archaeological superintendent who was present in Daundiya Kheda village.
Swami Om said a bhoomi puja was also held and the excavation would begin on October 18. “Don’t worry, it will be telecast live,” he said. Villagers in the area are excited about unearthing the treasure and Ajay Pal Singh, the pradhan of Sangrampur under whose jurisdiction Daundiya Kheda falls, has given a list of demands to Sarkar. It includes a railway station, a medical college, industrial area, girls college, agriculture research institute, solar power plant and a government job to one member of every family in the village.
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