The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Friday conducted a survey of the recently discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple in Sambhal. A four-member team of the ASI surveyed five pilgrimage sites and 19 wells in the area.
Sambhal District Magistrate Rajender Pensiya told reporters that the survey continued till evening and the team also surveyed the new temple that was found.
Earlier officials said that three damaged idols were found inside the well of the Shri Kartik Mahadev temple in Sambhal which was reopened last week after nearly 46 years.
Pensiya further said, 19 wells including Chaturmukh Koop, Moksha Koop, Dharam Koop and five pilgrimage sites including Bhadrak Ashram, Swargdeep and Chakrapani were surveyed.
"Along with this, the new temple (Kartik Mahadev) that was found has also been surveyed by ASI. We had got all these places measured earlier but ASI did the survey today," the district magistrate was quoted by PTI.
The Shri Kartik Mahadev temple reopened on December 13 after the authorities said they stumbled upon the covered structure during an anti-encroachment drive. The temple housed an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling.
Around 10 to 12 feet of digging has been done. "Firstly, an idol of Parvati was found with its head broken and then Ganesh and Lakshmi idols were found," he said.
The temple is situated in the Khaggu Sarai area, just over a kilometre from the Shahi Jama Masjid where violence erupted on November 24 during a protest over a court-ordered survey of the mosque. During the incident, four people were killed and several, including police personnel, were injured in the violence.
The Supreme Court, on December 12, restrained till further directions the court in the country from entertaining fresh lawsuits and passing any effective interim or final orders in pending ones seeking to reclaim religious places, especially mosques and dargahs.
"As the matter is sub-judice in this court, we deem it appropriate that no fresh suit would be registered and proceedings are undertaken till further orders of this court," the CJI-led bench said.
The direction of a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K. V. Viswanathan stalls proceedings in about 18 lawsuits filed by various Hindu parties seeking a survey to ascertain the original religious character of 10 mosques including Gyanvapi at Varanasi, Shahi Idgah Masjid at Mathura and Shahi Jama Masjid at Sambhal.
The bench said that it would be examining the "vires (legality), contours and ambit" of the 1991 law and it was imperative to ask other courts to "stay off their hands" till it passed any further orders.
"In pending suits, the courts will not pass any effective interim or final order, including order of survey, till further orders," the bench said.